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PREFACE. 

There is no necessity of a long preface here, but I 
will merely state that while time was hanging heavily 
on my hands, I often called upon my old friends and 
acquaintances, and conversations often drifted to my 
past experiences ; this led my friends to urge me to 
put my experiences into book form so that the public 
might have the benefit of them. This I finally con- 
cluded to do. Not that my experiences were so much 
more startling, or more wonderful, than those of 
thousands of others, but of their being so varied and 
extraordinary, and extending over so long a period 
and during a time when our country's conditions were 
so far different from the present, that I deemed it 
worthy of recording, especially as it was so urgently 
desired by my friends. Hence this publication, which 
I hope will please, if it does not edify. 

I have tried to relate the anecdotes, matters and 
events as closely to memory as possible, and if any- 
thing conflicts with history, I give it as I saw it, and 
liave related as little as possible of historic matter, 
that I might not write anything conflicting with 
history. 

The Author. 



Affectionately Dedicated 

To MY Dear Wife, Mrs. J. D. Elderkin, who 
shared my joys and my sorrows, and followed my for- 
tunes through camp and field, and in the busy walks 
of life, as well as mv oem and joy of domestic life. 




MAJOR J. D. ELDERKIN. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 

AND 

ANECDOTES 

OF 

A SOLDIER OF THREE WARS, 

AS WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 



THE FLORIDA, THE MEXICAN WAR AND THE GREAT 
REBELLION, TOGETHER WITH SKETCHES OF 
TRAVEL, ALSO OF SERVICE IN A MILI- 
TIA COMPANY AND A MEMBER 
OF THE DETROIT LIGHT 
GUARD BAND FOR 
OVER THIRTY 
YEARS. 



BY 

JAMES D.'^ELDERKJN, 

DETROIT, MICH, 
MAY 1, 1899. 



38137 

Copyright, 1890, 

By J. D. EL.DERKIN, 

Detroit, Mich. 



wocopu a ^»ic::lV£0, 



l:'s^8r of Cc^J 








Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes, 



BY 



MAJOR J. D. ELDERKIN, 

A VETERAN OF THREE WARS. 



MY BIRTH PLACE AND BOYHOOD DAYS. 

I was born near Salmon River, N. Y., December i6, 
1820, and was brought up at Baldwinsville, town of 
Lysander, Onondaga Co., N. Y. My father was a 
carpenter and joiner, and a sound Jackson Democrat. 
He Hved to seventy years of age, and could have run 
a footrace the day before his death. He was of 
Scotch lineage, and the sturdy Scotchman could be 
seen in his every move. Up to my fourteenth year I 
remained at home helping my father and attending 
school some; but being of a restless nature, I left home 
at fourteen years of age, or in 1834. I remained away 
about a year. During this year of absence I spent 
most of the time as a driver on the Erie canal. 



A STARTLIxNG EXPERIKNTCE. 

My first experience was a startling and dangerous 
one: A man from Baldwinsville, whom I knew well, 
and who was part owner of a boat, employed me as a 
driver. The captains name was Tarbox. We were 
carrying lumber from Fulton to Albany. The first 
morning I started out nearly put an end to my career 
as a canal driver, and also of my life. We had loaded 
the boat while in the Oswego river, and were about 
to enter the canal. When the captain told me he 
would take charge of my team and I should go on the 
boat and cast off the towline. This was in conse- 
quence of our entering a lock, which would take us 
from the river into the canal. The team I was driv- 
ing was a young and spirited team. I went to the 
bow of the boat to execute the order and stood with 
my back to the cabin, ignorant of what might take 
place. The team gave a sudden jerk and detached 
the plank I was leaning against and I was hurled into 
the river. The boat hit me on the head and back and 
doubled me up. The depth of water saved my life. 
Had it been in the canal, it would have killed me. At 



any rate, it was a narrow escape, as I could not swim 
a stroke, but soon struck bottom and fished myself 
out by wading ashore. 

After we unloaded at Albany and started on our 
return trip we went very slow, only using one horse 
and not running nights. The forward cabin was used 
for the horses and the after cabin for a dining-room 
and sleeping room. For a long distance the canal 
runs parallel with the Mohawk river, and is very high, 
sometimes fifty feet above the river. On this occasion, 
as we were passing through Little Falls, we were just 
coming out of a lock, when the towdine broke and the 
horse went down the embankment. It killed the horse 
and nearly killed me. I felt the effects of the fall for 
years after. 

The above represent a few of my many narrow es- 
capes; and no wonder, for Prof. Lyman E. Stowe, the 
astrologer, and an old comrade, tells me I was born 
in the sign "Sagittarius,'' the sign of accidents, and 
that I was destined to experience many narrow escapes 
from accidents. Whether or not there is any truth in 
astrology I do not know, but certain it is that I have 
met with a great number of narrow escapes from seri- 
ous injury and death from accidents. 



After a year of tough experience for a boy I re- 
turned to lialdwinsville; but upon returning I found 
no home, my mother having died before my first de- 
parture, my father's family was scattered, and I found 
no place to go when I returned, so I immediately went 
to my brother John's house. My brother John was 
an architect and builder — just starting out in business 
life. 

One morning I went over where he was working, 
and finding him laying out timber, I thought I might 
make myself useful, and so picked up a corner chisel 
and began mortising timber. My brother came over 
and called my attention to the nature of the timber, 
and cautioned me, saying: "Be very careful or you 
may break the chisel." I replied: "All right; but I 
think there is no danger." But, alas! a moment after 
the chisel snapped. I was so dumbfounded I knew 
not what to do. Such a chisel, in those days, cost 
several dollars, and I had no money to purchase a 
new one for him, and I could not face him with the 
misfortune, and so fled. I did not see him again for 
thirteen years, until I returned from the Mexican war. 
He then came to Detroit to see me, and almost the 
first words he said, as he shook hands, was: "The last 



time I saw yon, 1 just got a glimpse of your coat tail 
as you flitted around the corner." And he laughed 
at me heartily. 

After the incident of the chisel I thought I had no 
place on earth where I was welcome. I now started 
out on a life of wandering, which lasted for many 
years. Having no money. I was compelled to take a 
little of the experience of a tramp. I\Iy first employ- 
ment was on the Erie canal, near Schenectady, X. Y., 
as a driver of a horse and cart. I stopped here for a 
short time and again commenced my wanderings for 
a better position. I got employment for a time in a 
hvery stable, and afterwards, for a time, at the Man- 
sion House, Utica, N. Y.; but I soon started on again. 
Having but very little money, I soon ran out of funds, 
and my experience as a tramp began to be severe 
indeed, until one day, while wandering in the streets 
of Schenectady a kindly old gentleman asked me if I 
would like a bowl of clam soup, as I was standing out- 
side smelling the soup. I replied that I w^ould, and I 
think I never eat anything I thought tasted quite as 
good. While in the restaurant a couple of United 
States soldiers came in. I asked them if they knew 
of anv one that wanted a l)ov for work, and the\- in 



turn asked me how I would like to 1)ecome a soldien 
I replied that T would like it. I thought anything- 
would be preferable to the life of a tramp I was living. 

I was nineteen years of age, for this was in 1839 r 
but the officer told me I would have to claim I was 
twenty-one years old or I could not enlist. This, of 
course, I did, ,' and a few^ days later became one of 
Uncle Sam's soldiers. 

When quite a lad, I liked to play the flute, and one 
of the pleasant memories of my boyhood days was of 
sitting on the banks of the Seneca river, with my feet 
in the water, and wdiile playing the flute the fish would 
nibble at my toes and perform other amusing antics 
while seemingly attracted by the music of my flute. 
And while my calls on the fish were quite regular, if I 
chanced to be late I would find them actually jumping 
out of the water, as if to see if I were coming. 

This practice with the flute turned out to be of great 
service to me wdiile in the army, as my music was. 
always in demand. 

We remained at the recruiting office \vith Lieut- 
Prince, the recruiting officer, for about two months, 
and then went to Bedloes Island, where we. remained 
for two or three davs. 



The only incident of note to me that transpired here 
was the loss of my last suit of underwear, which I 
washed and hung on the line, keeping my eyes on 
them while they dried. But, alas! I went to dinner, 
to return and find my underwear gone. This loss was 
nearly irreparable for a time, as I could not draw on 
the government to replace them until we arrived at 
some regular barracks. But through the kindness of 
Sergt. Head, who gave me a suit of his own, I was 
saved from the winter blasts that howled through the 
rigging of the ship St. Mary, which we now boarded 
to be taken to New Orleans. 

We were two weeks making our trip from New 
York to New Orleans. For the most of the way the 
weather was very bad; it was so bad that the cooks 
could not get us a warm meal, and we lived on hard- 
tack and raw pork. But at last it cleared up and we 
were bowling along in the Gulf of Mexico under a 
spanking breeze and a magnificent setting sun, when 
I noticed a little black speck of a cloud arising above 
the horizon not large enough to make a man a shirt, 
as the sailors say; but in less than five minutes the sky 
was overcast and a blizzard struck our good ship and 
threw her on her beam's end and the sails partially 



8 

under water, when I heard the captain's cry, as he 
came from the cabin: "Let go the halyard.'' The 
o-ood ship righted, but her ballast was so shifted that 
she rode the rest of the way into port nearly on her 
side, showing her bottom to the sun. Of course none 
of us ever expected to reach port, but we were saved, 
or I could not narrate this incident here. 

We remained at New Orleans but two days, when 
we took a steamer down the Mississippi river to the 
mouth of the Arkansas river, thence up past Little 
Rock to the Grand river and to Fort Gibson, which 
was then in the wilds of Arkansas and Indian Terri- 
tory, and was in the Cherokee nation. Here I joined 
my regiment, the Fourth United States Infantry, 
Company D, and this regiment was my home for fif- 
teen years. The regiment was under the command of 
Maj. Stanford. We remained at this post two years. 

Perhaps a few incidents of our camp life there will 
interest the reader: 

Lieut. was the adjutant of our regiment; a 

very fine appearing man, but not well liked by the 
men, and we will let the reader judge of his merits by 
one of his dastardly acts. 



m 



The Grand river rises away up in the Rocky Moun- 
tains, and is a stream of beautiful, clear, cold water. 
On the west side of the river the Creek nation was 
stationed, and on the east side the Cherokee nation. 
These Indians were well mixed with the whites, and 
consequently well civilized. Just above the fort the 
river was crossed by a ferry. A hawser was stretched 
across the river and a large flat boat used for the ferry. 
This was attached to the hawser by ropes and pulleys. 
By drawing- the bow of the boat well up stream the 
swift current propelled the boat across. 

The charges for crossing the river, to white men, 
was one dollar. The Indians could cross free. I was 
detailed as corporal of the squad that had the boat in 
charge, and hence was in position to take particular 
note of the incident I am about to relate. 

The chief of the Creek nation was the father of the 
noblest and most beautiful maiden I ever saw. She 

was half white and every inch a lady. Adjt. fell 

in love with and married her, and lived with her two 
years, and it was then currently reported that he 
cruelly abandoned her; but he paid the penalty with 
his life, as he was shot through the heart at the battle 
of Monterev, Mex. 



10 

Many a time I have watched that fine pair ride over 
the lovely prairies on a wolf hunt. I have watched the 
beautiful plumes in her hat waving in the sunlight as 
far as the eye could reach. 

She often crossed the river from the fort to see her 
father, when she would invariably call me to her and I 
say: "Now, corporal, here is a dollar for my fare. Put 
it in your pocket. Do not give it to the adjutant, as , 
I am an Indian and have a right to go free; so you f 
keep the dollar for yourself." The perfect ladyship of 
this beautiful woman was remarked by the whole regi- 
ment, and their indignation was expressed at her cruel 
abandonment. 

While stationed at Fort Gibson we built the military 
road to Fort Smith, ninety miles below us. To pro- 
tect the men from malaria, the government served a 
gill of whisky daily to each man; but, of course, there 
were men in the regiment who hankered for more, 
and could never be satisfied until they could drink no I 
more. So on pay days they would soon be found in- 
toxicated if they could possibly get the whisky to get 
drunk on. On one occasion, just after pay day, Capt. 
Buchanan, of Company B, an officer everybody liked, 
Avas officer of the day. 



II 



Corporal Stokes, of Company B, reported with his 
detail for duty. Capt. Buchanan inquired: "Who 
have you in your detail?" the corporal replied: *'I 
liave Jack Harron." ''Look out for him," said the cap- 
tain. "Tom Crask," continued the corporal. ''Look 
out for him," said the captain. "Jimmy Bar," again 
said the corporal. "Look out for him," repeated the 
captain. "James McDonough," concluded the corporal. 
"Oh, Oh!" exclaimed the captain with a long low 
Avhistle; and turning to his lieutenant said, "Mr. Ham- 
mond, the camp will be taken to-night sure." 

Now, these were all intelligent men, literary men, 
actors, and that class of men who had drifted into the 
army, and they were the life of the regiment. But 
their weakness was their love of the ardent. 

In the night, when the captain made his rounds, he 
found Jack Harron walking his beat, but he was as 
drunk as a lord and looking as wild as an Indian, for 
he had a red handkerchief tied around his head. "Who 
goes there?'' challenged Harron. "OfBcer of the 
day," came -the reply. "Advance, officer of the day, 
and give the countersign." This was done. Then the 
officer of the day asked : "Mr. Harron, where is your 
beat?" "Let the captain stand out of the way and I'll 



12 

show him," was the reply, as Jack staggered over his 
beat. "Where are the rest of the men?'' inquired the 
captain. "There lies Corp. Stokes/' said Harron, "and 
the rest are lying around here sleeping." "But I can't 
find any of them," said the captain. And Corp. 
Stokes was so drunk that he could get nothing but a 
grunt out of him. 

The next day the captain ordered the grog stopped 
for all of these men as a punishment. When rations 
were served and no grog for these men, McDonald 
took it to heart very hard and inquired why it was 
stopped. The sergeant told him the captain ordered 
it as a punishment on account of their absence from 
duty. McDonald immediately called on the captain 
and said: "Captain, the sergeant tells me you ordered 
my grog stopped." "Yes,'- replied the captain, "I 
stopped it on account of your absence from duty last 
night." "But, captain," exclaimed McDonald with an 
air of grave injured innocence, "I can prove I was not 
absent, but was sleeping." "Who can you prove it 
by?" inquired the captain. "liy Jimmy Bar,'' em- 
phatically declared McDonald. ''Oh! Can you prove 
it by someone else?'' asked the captain. "Oh, yes; 
by Jack Harron," again replied McDonald. ''Well, 



13 

you can have your grog. I had rather allow it to 
you than seek for further proof," said the captain, for 
he could see it was useless to try to prove anything 
against these men, who were ready to swear for each 
other through thick and thin. But the captain must 
surely have thought he could not believe his senses, 
and that it w^as he, and not the men, who were drunk. 



PRIVATE RYAN AND GEN. TAYLOR. 

Gen. Taylor, of¥ duty, appeared like a very plain 
citizen, and on one occasion, when he called on his 
rounds of inspection, it was just after pay day, and 
Jack Ryan, one of the jolly drinkers, went in search 
of whisky. He met Gen. Taylor. Not knowing him, 
he inquired of him where he could get some whisky. 
"Well," said the general, "over yonder are the women^s 
quarters. I think if you go over there and inquire you 
can get some." Away went Jack, and, sure enough, 
he soon came back with his flask full; and approach- 
ing the general, said: '*Here, old man, I got some. 
For your kindness, take a drink with me.'' "No, no,'' 
replied the general. "Put it up quick, or some of the 
ofificers may see you with it and take it away from you 
and put you in the guardhouse." 



14 

The next day, while in Hne for inspection, Jack, of 
course, saw the general, and inquired: "Who is that 
man?" Several who knew replied: "Why, that is Old 
Tonkey" (Gen. Taylor). Tonkey was the soldiers' 
pet name for their loved old general. "Oh, my God!" 
said Jack. "Pm killed; Pm killed. That is the man 
I inquired of where to get the whisky, and he told me 
where to get it, too." But, of course, there was noth- 
ing more ever heard of the matter. 

We were now ordered to Old Point Comfort, where 
we rested a short time before starting for Florida to 
engage in the Seminole war. 



WHILE HERE A STARTLING ESCAPADE 
TOOK PLACE. 

With one or two exceptions, the officers of the 
Fourth United States Infantry were well liked by the 
men as well as by the citizens. But we had one offi- 
cer, Capt. L , of Company I, who was a petty 

tyrant. 

Capt. L was drilling his company one morning, 

and one man had been drinking a little too much, and 
it angered the captain, so he ordered him to stand in 



front of his quarters at a shoulder arms. The man 
stood there for a long time, until he got tired and 
brought his gun down to an order. The captain, see- 
ing him, immediately ordered him to come to a shoul- 
der. But the man said, *T cannot, captain; I am ex- 
hausted." The captain intimated he was the son of a 
female dog, and told him to bring his guft to his 
shoulder or he would run him through with his 
sword. The man did not obey quick enough to please 
the captain, and he made a thrust with his sword; but 
the man was too quick for him and stabbed the cap- 
tain in the groin with his bayonet. Of course this 
was insubordination, and must be punished. The 
soldier knew this, and was determined to escape. A 
chase and struggle ensued, but the man was captured 
and bound; he soon was courtmartialed and sentenced 
to be shot. The day for execution arrived, and twelve 
men were detailed as the fireing party. The man was 
led out and placed upon his coffin and the fireing 
party ordered to fire. But they were in sympathy with 
the man, and fired over his head. Immediately after- 
ward a horseman came riding at full speed, shouting 
that the man had been reprieved by the President. The 
man was discharged and ordered to leave; but the 



i6 



citizens were so indignant over the whole proceeding 
that they raised $500 and gave it to the man before 
he left. 

This same Capt. L was suddenly taken sick just 

before our first engagement with the Seminoles. A year 
afterwards, when we were in California, he used to 
order a detail of men to row him around in the waters 
of Puget Sound, and on one occasion there came up 
a sudden squal and overturned the boat, and the whole 
party was drowned, and that was the end of Capt. 
L , of Company I. 

The Indian war, known as the "Seminole,'' or 
•'Florida War,'' broke out in 1835, and lasted until 
1842. 

IN THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

In 1841, the Fourth United States Infantry was or- 
dered to Florida to take part in that war. From Fort 
Gibson we went to New Orleans. There we took a 
steamer, which landed us at Tampa Bay, where we re- 
mained about two months, and then took up our line 
of march in our first campaign in the Florida war. 

I am inclined to think if our boys who were engaged 



in the recent little affair with Spain could taste a bit 
of our Florida exiperience they would think their re- 
cent war experience was quite a pleasant picnic in 
comparison. Let it be remembered, at that early day, 
Florida was, for the most part, a howling wilderness, 
and indescribable in its wild yet horrible and beautiful 
grandure. For the most part, it was a succession of 
swamps, ridges, lagoons and low^ hills, called hum- 
mocks. The timber land, except for a trail here and 
there, was an impenetrable jungle. Especially was 
this the case in the swamps, where the mighty cypress 
often from four to five feet in diameter, raised its giant 
head high above the dense and tang'led thorn-clad vine 
and shrubbery beneath, as if its mighty foliage was not 
enough to shut out the sunlight, each limb being hung 
heavy with Spanish moss, shutting out every ray of 
light, bringing the gloom of night over a trail beset 
with thorns, rattlesnakes and deadly moccasins gliding 
over your feet and ready to strike if trod upon. 

Xot only this, but every leaf seemed to bear some 
poisonous insect as dangerous as the serpents under 
foot, and still more dangerous than all the rest, the 
cunning redskins had slowly retreated before the 
United States army; for this war had been going on 



i8 

for years, and they had penetrated the jungles deep, 
and here and there cleared the hummocks of timber 
and built themselves comfortable homes from the bark 
of the cypress tree; and they defended those homes 
with that fury that only men driven to desperation 
can do. Concealing themselves under the dense foli- 
age, covered with Spanish moss, they were undiscern- 
able until they revealed their position by a rifle shot. 
This, of course, was often too late for some poor com- 
rade who was pushing his way determindly through 
the tangle, and with death lurking on every hand. 
Wherever there had chanced to be a clearing of some 
daring settler's once happy home, now nothing re- 
mained but blackened ruins, a standing chimney or, 
perchance, here and there an orange grove, laden with 
fruit, as it peeped above the tangled underbrush, 
seemingly arising to strangle every relic of civilized 
man. 

The night was made hideous by the howl of wolves, 
the scream of the panther, the bull-like bellow of the 
alligator and the dismal cry of the loon, interspersed 
here and there by the sweet notes of the whippoorwill, 
or the song of the American nightingale, that most 



19 

beautiful of all songsters, the mocking bird. (The 
mocking bird often sings in the night.) 

All of these sounds, whether dismal or sweet, were 
heeded with the greatest precaution, as it might be 
real or might be the signal of a wily savage to his 
cohorts to join in an onslaught that would end in a 
massacre or death-struggle of extermination for one 
side or the other. 

Wherever clearings were found, or the higher 
ground lessened the density of the foliage, the graceful 
magnolia spread her beautiful branches of velvet leaves 
and magnificent blossoms, which ladened the air with 
perfume so sweet and heavy that it could be scented 
miles away; and high among the branches carroled 
the sweetest songsters man ever heard as they flitted 
from limb to limb under the glorious sunlight over- 
head, as if to emphasize to man that a glowing picture 
of hell and heaven might exist on earth before his 
very eyes. 

The above is a weak attempt to describe the awful 
grandeur of Florida in those terrible times of savage 
warfare. 

It was in 1841 we went to Florida, where we re- 
mained for one year. Of all my experience of hard- 



20 

ships in three wars that which I experienced in Florida 
was the worst. 

We left Tampa Bay and took our line of march to 
the Everglades. We were accompanied by our 
wagons bearing provisions and camp equipage as far 
as it was possible for wagons to go, then they were 
left behind and pack mules substituted to carry the 
absolute necessities, which was chiefly powder and 
lead and some extra rations of hardtack and pork. 
'We were soon compelled to abandon our mules and 
load ourselves down with ammunition and provisions. 
With this tremendous load of ammunition equipments 
and five days' rations of pork and hardtack, we wal- 
lowed through the brier and bush and mud and water 
day after day. 

We, of course, had no tents, and when the storms 
appeared to be likely to be too heavy we cut down 
palm trees and used the branches to build shelter, 
while we used the cabbage-like top for food to stretch 
out our rations as far as possible, and only for that, I 
think, we should have starved. Though there was not 
much neutriment to it, it furnished the bulk, so we did 
not feel so gaunt. The palm was cut in small pieces 



21 

and boiled as you would boil cabbage, though it did 
not require so much boiUng as cabbage. 

We had a number of Indian guides, who followed 
the trail of the Indians as unerringly as a hound woukl 
follow a deer. They were always in advance until they 
noticed the water ran roily, knowing thereby the re- 
treating Indians were near, when the Indian scouts 
would drop to the rear and we were pushed to the 
front to give battle. 

Our first engagement will forever remain as fresh 
in my memory as the day it occurred. 

We were about to enter the fight when Capt. L , 

of Company -I, whom I have mentioned before, was 
suddenly taken sick. As he was not liked at all, the 
boys would have it that he showed the white feather. 
Eight men were detailed to take him back to the depot 
where we left the mules. This was done by construct- 
ing a stretcher by binding a blanket on two poles and 
leaving the ends of the poles projecting out for 
handles, two men carrying him some distance, when 
they would be relieved by two others, and so on. We 
were now fully fifty miles in the heart of the great 
cvpress swamp. Sergt. Douain and ten men were de- 
tailed to take the advance. I chanced to be one of 



22 

those men, Sergt. Douain taking the lead and I fol- 
lowing. We had not advanced far when the sergeant 
was shot and killed. He was the first man killed in 
that campaign. He was a member of my company. 
We were marching in the water knee deep when we 
were fired upon. Though we lost several men, not an 
Indian could be seen. We pushed on to the dry land 
as fast as possible, but when we got there the Indians 
had concluded to retreat farther into the wilderness. 
We followed them some distance, and then returned 
to the island, where we buried our dead by carrying 
them out into deep water and driving stakes over them 
to keep the bodies down so in case the Indians did 
come back they could not find them and mutilate the 
bodies; We were continually marching through 
water knee deep and upward; and I must relate an 
amusing incident of 

CORP. YOUNG AND MAJ. BELKNAP. 

The officers of our regiment were generally pretty 
well liked, but Maj. Belknap, who had our expedition 
in charge, belonged to the Seventh United States In- 
fantry, and just before we started on our expedition 
our rations of cofifee were taken from us and rve coffee 



23 

substituted. This did not please the men very well, 
and they declared Maj. Belknap had sold the coffee 
and furnished rye instead, pocketing- the difference. 
Whether this was so or not, the men generally thought 
it was true, and every morning made the woods ring 
with their cries of "Rye coffee! Rye coffee!" It was 
very evident that the major thought no more of a 
private soldier than if he were a dog. and these morn- 
ing salutations did not increase his amiable disposi- 
tion toward them; but for all this Maj. Belknap was a 
brave, self-reliant fellow. Be it known there are 
always some men ready to sacrifice manhood to carry 
favor with those in power. Corp. Young, of Com- 
pany D, was one of these fellows, and on one occasion 
when we were marching through water knee deep the 
corporal slid out of his place in the ranks and hastened 
forward and said: "Major, there is a deep hole just 
in front of you." For his pains the major turned and 
sharply asked: "What company do you belong to?" 
"Company D," replied the corporal. ''Join your com- 
pany immediately and never leave the ranks without 
orders," was the sharp command. The corporal came 
back to the ranks much crestfallen for the attention 
of the men had all been called to the episode. But a 



24 

moment afterward the corporal experienced some re- 
turning satisfaction by seeing the major plunge to the 
armpits in the deep hole, sharply crying as he went 
down: "Hip no bottom." But he laughingly pulled 
himself out of the hole, and it was well that he could 
do so, for he was so cordially hated that hardly a man 
would have went to his assistance. 



OUR RETURN. 

We were now entirely out of rations and were com- 
pelled to return to the depot where we left the mules. 
Thus ended our first campaign. 

OUR SECOND CAMPAIGN. 

We remained at this camp but a day and then 
started on our second campaign. We went up to Cin- 
able river by taking a steamboat at a point then called 
Point *'Arresser." Getting on or ofT from a boat was a 
serious business, as there were no docks and the banks 
were muddy. The men were taken of¥ in small boats, 
but horses and mules were thrown overboard and they 
swam to shore. The place selected for a camp was in 



25 

a pine woods so dense with underbrush that we were 
compelled to dig trees up by the roots, which were 
five inches in diameter, before we could pitch our 
tents ; and the rattlesnakes were so thick that we were 
compelled to keep on the watch continually to prevent 
being bitten. 

We stocked the steamiboat with wood, carrying it on 
our shoulders. After establishing a depot there, we 
again took up our line of march in pursuit of the In- 
dians. This time we had a much larger force than 
before. We had about five hundred men, commanded 
by Col. Garland, one of the finest and bravest men I 
ever met. I had a good chance to get acquainted with 
him, as I was detailed, with nine others, as his body 
guard. Capt. Carr commanded one company of the 
First Dragoons ; Maj. Plimton with a company of 
mounted infantry, and Company D of the Fourth 
United States Infantry. 

We got on the trail and followed it , up for three 
days and located the Indians in a Hummock where 
the underbrush was very thick, and it was very hard to 
push our way through it. 

The command approached in two columns. The 
colonel, like the brave man that he was, led the wav 



26 

with his body guard in single file. When we got right 
onto the Indians I said: "Here they are, colonel," and 
I pulled my horse in front of the colonel. I had for- 
gotten to mention that the body guard had been given 
horses when we started out. As I road in front of the 
colonel a very large Indian arose out of the bushes. 
I took deliberate aim and fired. The Indian jumped 
three feet in the air and fell dead. We advanced very 
rapidly and drove them into the heavy-timbered land, 
where we captured a part of the tribe, and in a few 
days got the rest of them; and I never saw a finer 
specimen of human physical perfection than were these 
people. Not at all like the stunted Indians who came 
from the western plains. 

That night Col. Garland ordered me to Fort King 
with dispatches. That is about one hundred and ten 
miles from Tampa Bay. Warm springs are on the 
road about half the way from Tampa Bay to Fort 
King. 

I left camp at twelve o'clock at night and got to 
Fort King some time in the forenoon next day. This 
was a big trip for my poor horse, for I weighed over 
a hundred and sixty pounds, and I carried my gun 
and equipments and one day's rations and forage for 



27 

my horse. I had two rivers to ford, as the Indians had 
burned the bridges over the big and Httle Withlacoocha 
rivers. I also had several hummocks to cross. These 
are the dry lands which I spoke of before. Every rod 
of the way swarmed with rattlesnakes, moccasins and 
other deadly reptiles; besides part of the tribe was be- 
tween me and Fort King. My horse was a spirited 
fellow and one used to the road, for he had born many 
an express rider oyer these very roads — some to the 
end of their journey and some were shot from his 
back, and their bones lay bleaching on the way and 
left monuments to American daring. I had little 
hopes of reaching Fort King. Every time we reached 
one of those dry hummocks my horse would prick up 
his ears and take the bit between his teeth, and no 
mortal man could hold him, but he dashed through 
like the brave, intelligent fellow that he was. 

As soon as I learned his way I placed my leg over 
my gun to keep it from being brushed away and fas- 
tened my cap on my head and leaned over my horse's 
neck and let him go. Of course I could not see much 
of the road in the night, but much of the way was lit 
up by that brilliant Florida sunlight, and then the 
awful majestic grandness of that wild, fierce and many 



28 

times l)eaiitiful forest was aweinspiring, and must be 
seen under such circumstances as I saw it to make 
one fully understand it, for no pen, let it be wielded 
by the best talent that ever scratched a line, could de- 
scribe its impressive grandeur. Now, passing through 
the swamps of low underbrush with a bare pathway, 
which only my trusty horse could tread, for I knew it 
not then, breaking over a space of dry land where a 
road had been cut through, where the towering Mag- 
nolia, with its highly scented and beautiful blossoms, 
perfumed the air for miles around, then the stately 
palm nodded its proud head to the morning breezes, 
while the live oaks yielded a comfortable shade from 
the noonday glare of the sun and an equally fine 
hiding place for a lurking foe. 

The earth swarmed with poisonous insects and rep- 
tiles and the tops of the trees were fairly alive with 
the most beautiful songsters I ever saw or heard. I 
must take a little rest and a bite to eat and feed my 
horse, so I seek a lonely spot on a lake shore; and 
after we have taken a short rest, some food and drink 
we are on our way again. But after daylight, with 
the rather unpromising sights of dead men's bones 
every little while to mark the way, it is no wonder my 



29 

hopes of a safe trip sank very low. But, of course, 
I got through safe. 

Gen. Worth kept me at the fort two days before he 
started me on my return trip, and, as before, I started 
in the night and arrived back in camp safe the next 
day. 

By this time our forces had captured the balance of 
the Indians. I had not been in camp but a few min- 
utes when a squad of dragoons came to inquire if I 
had arrived safe, and if I had not, they intended to 
come out and meet me, as I had a very dangerous 
point to pass. It was about half way between Tampa 
Bay and Fort King, and at a point where Maj. Dade 
and one hundred and ten men were massacred on the 
28th day of December, 1835. Maj. Dade had been 
ordered from Tampa to Fort King with supplies and 
ordinance, but a friendly chief went to Maj. Dade and 
told him of his danger and begged of him not to go, 
and told him just where his forces would be attacked; 
but Maj. Dade replied, saying: "There is no danger; 
I can drive every Indian out of Florida with a cow- 
hide.'' The chief felt so bad that he shed tears, but 
it was no use. The major and his men left the next 
morning, taking one piece of artillery with them. They 



. 30 

were three days before they reached the place where 
the massacre took place. They had arrived within 
one mile of the black cypress swamp when the 
tAventy-five men on the advance guard were fired on, 
and Maj. Dade was the first to fall, and the whole 
advance guard were killed by the first fire. A fierce 
fight then ensued, but the Indians soon withdrew and 
the soldiers tried to build breastworks, but had not 
much done when the Indians came back with over- 
whelming numbers and renewed the fight. 

There was no escape, every man but one being 
killed, and he was badly wounded, but managed to 
crawl to a lake and hide among the pond lilies. After 
the massacre the Indians terribly mutilated the bodies, 
and it was two weeks before they were buried. Then 
what could be found of the corpses were buried in one 
grave, and the cannon which the Indians had dis- 
mantled was placed at the head of the grave. 

We now had the Indians of this section prisoners, 
except, perhaps, a few stragglers. We loaded them 
in wagons and took them to Tampa Bay. They were 
taken out to an island called Seehorsekees for safe 
keeping until a ship should arrive which was to take 
them to Fort Gibson, Indian Territorv. There were 



31 

several islands close by, and at low tide the Indians 
could wade from one to the other. So, to prevent 
them from escaping, there was a guard of ten men 
detailed to watch them. These islands swarmed with 
poisonous insects and reptiles. Comrade McDonough, 
a fine fellow, whom I liked very much, was one of the 
detailed guards. He laid down to sleep under a tree, 
and shortly after another comrade saw coiled on his 
chest a copperhead snake. The comrade was consid- 
ering what to do when McDonough, became restless 
and turned on his side, when the snake slid off and 
bit him on the forearm. It is said that no person ever 
recovered from the bite of a copperhead snake, and 
certainly I never heard of one who did except my 
friend McDonough, and this was on account of the 
presence of mind of the good comrade who saw the 
snake. He sprang to McDonough's side and applied 
his mouth to the wound and sucked the poison out, 
and McDonough recovered, showing but very little 
inconvenience from it. 



32 



A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY. 

Kentucky acquired the title of ''Dark and bloody 
ground," but during- the Seminole war Florida wore 
an aspect fully as dark and terrible. ^lany were the 
massacres that drenched her soil and terrible were the 
tragedies that, if recorded, must blot the pages of 
history. But I will only mention those which came 
under my observation, or that I knew something 
about. 

I was for a time stationed at a place called Waca- 
hoota. This is about six miles from Macnope. Maj. 
Stanaford, in command of tw^o companies of men, was 
at Macnope, and Maj. Graham, in command of two 
companies, w^as at Wacahoota. We had the best 
bread at our post, and so T was ordered every morn- 
ing to take a basket of fresh bread over to Maj. Stana- 
ford, who had his wife with him, so I became famil- 
iarly acquainted wath them. 

On one occasion Mrs. Montgomery, accompanied by 
the Sergeant-Major and an escort of five men, started 
to come over to Wacahoota, where Mrs. Montgomery 
wished to visit some friends. When half way between 



33 

the two places they were attacked by the Indians, and 
after a bitter struggle all were killed. The sergeant- 
major and the lady were the last slain. When Lieut. 
Montgomery heard of the death of his wife, it crazed 
him, so he placed the point of his sword to his eye and 
fell upon it and killed himself. 

Afterward a block house w^as built where the mas- 
sacre took place, and was ever after guarded. 

While stationed at Wacahotee, I, with nine others, 
were detailed to guard Alaj. Hope's plantation against 
the depredations of thieving Indians. W^e were quar- 
tered at the major's house, and one man was kept on 
patrol continually night and day. This was performed 
in detail by each man going over the place and re- 
turning, which took him about two hours; then he 
was relieved by another. Thus the task was not a 
heavy one, but shows what varity w^e found in a sol- 
dier's life. While ofif duty, the time was spent in card 
playing or any way we could find to amuse ourselves. 
I was at this place about three weeks, when all at 
once I became 



34 



A DOCTOR. 

This was a startling as well as an amusing and in- 
teresting episode of my life. 

Dr. Hammond was our regimental surgeon, and a 
man by the name of Ben Rolet was hospital steward. 
Rolet was a good man and knew his duty well, was 
finely educated and perfectly competent for the work 
but for the one exception — he drank terribly, and so 
could not be trusted. Well, an orderly came to the 
plantation with orders for me to report to the hospital 
at once. Had I been ordered to report to the guard- 
house and put under arrest, I could not have been 
more astonished. I should have thought that by some 
error I had been derelict in duty. Or had I been 
ordered to report to the commander, I would have 
supposed that I might be detailed for some special 
duty; but to be ordered to report to the doctor, and I 
not in need of medicine, certainly did puzzle me. My 
comrades joked me, saying that I might be a victim 
for vivisection as a live corpse, as it were, to be dis- 
sected for the benefit of future generations. But all 
of my imaginings were brought to an end when I 
reached the doctors quarters. Said the doctor in his 



35 

brusk way: "I have ordered you here to act as hos- 
pital steward/' "Bvit, doctor, I know absolutely 
nothing of medicine," said I. "I don't care a d — n for 
that. I will teach you," said he. I thought in my 
startled anxiety, for I did not want to be a doctor, I 
would declare I could not write. "Let me see your 
writing," said he. So 1 scratched down Baltimore 
or some other name in the most wretched manner I 
could, which was bad enough at best. He looked at 
it and said: 'That will do." And so I was forced t® 
become a doctor against my will Well, after all it 
was not much, for the whole stock in trade of the 
pharmacy of a regimental hospital, in those days, was 
Peruvian bark in a powdered state. Its more power- 
ful extract, quinine, calomel, laudanum, was a great 
stand-by in those days. Bitter aloes was much used, 
seidlitz powders, ipecac, jalap and, perhaps, the num- 
ber of drugs could be counted on one's fingers, and 
did not take very long to learn their names, medical 
properties and quantities to be used, and the variety 
of diseases among soldiers w^as not so great. So I 
became quite a doctor in a little while. Bleeding and 
cupping w-ere practiced a great deal, and I became s@ 
proficient in these that I was frequently called by the 



36 

town people outside; and I made a good deal of extra 
money by my outside practice. 

A GREAT JOKE ON DR. HAMMOND. 

One night a man by the name of Collins, who had 
been a practicing physician, called at the surgery and 
asked for some laudanum. Knowing his previous 
record, I thought he could use his own judgment, and 
I said: "There it is; help yourself." But in a little 
while several men brought him back in a seemingly 
dying state. I immediately gave him a big dose of 
ipecac and tried all I could to bring him to. But he 
seemed so far gone that I called] Dr. Hammond. But 
I did not tell him what ailed the man. He looked at 
the man and said : "Give him forty drops of laud- 
anum." And he stood by until I administered the dose. 
But the moment his back was turned I poured down 
more ipecac. Meantime the old hospital steward, 
Rolet, came in, and I confided the truth of the matter 
to him. He helped me all he could, but the man was 
no better, and we called Dr. Hammond again, but did 
not tell him what the real trouble was. The doctor 
again looked at the sick man and said: "Repeat the 



dose; give him forty drops more laudanum.'" There 
was no escaping this, of course. It had to be done. 
But again we commenced our work of getting rid of 
it the moment the doctor's back was turned. Well, 
after a while we brought our man around all right. 
The next morning the doctor came in to the hospital 
accompanied by some friends and two other regi- 
mental doctors, and he brought them over to see the 
patient. "Now, this man," said he, "came in last night 
suffering from a severe attack of spinal mmeningitis. 
I ordered forty drops of laudanum, and as he did not 
make much progress I ordered the dose repeated, and 
here he is on a fair way to recovery. Only for the 
laudanum he would have died sure." And the other 
doctors stepped up and looked wise and nodded their 
heads as if to say, "Great wisdom; remarkable recov- 
ery." But of course we dare not let the "cat out of the 
bag," and the doctor never knew what really ailed the 
patient. But I tell you I was glad when Collins got 
well, and I was more watchful of my charge, the medi- 
cines, after that. Collins knew what he had taken, but 
he never gave the thing away. 



38 



DR. HAMMOND AND THE GERMAN .MUSI- 
CIAN. 

Dr. Hammond was a man of very few words and 
he was very gruff. One morning- at sick call one of 
the band, a (jerman musician by the name of Riter, 
reported for medical treatment. The doctor inquired^ 
''What ails you?" "French horn, sir," replied Riter,. 
supposing the doctor asked him what instrument he 
played. "D — n you!'' shouted the doctor, 'T did not 
want to know what instrument you played, but what 
is the matter with you." Finally the Dutchman got 
him to understand he had a pain in his stomach. But 
when Riter reported next morning and the doctor 
asked him "How is your chest?" he was completely 
knocked out by the Dutchman's reply, which was to 
the effect that some one had broken into it and stole 
a shirt and pair of drawers the night before, which 
was a fact. But the doctor did not know this, and 
supposed it was an attempted joke on him, and he 
kicked poor Riter out, crying, "D — n you, get out !'^ 
A short time after this we were ordered to Jefferson 
barracks, Mo., about ten miles from St. Louis. We 



39 

were ordered to pack the medicines in good shape, but 
so they could be easily got at in case of emergency. 
Dr. Hammond was in the habit of taking his seidlitz 
powders in the morning, and Rolet, knowing this, had 
determined to perpetrate one more joke on the doctor, 
knowing that at Jefferson barracks there was a fully 
equipped hospital department and he and I would be 
returned to the ranks, and as he had been ordered to 
assist in packing the medicines he was not at all par- 
ticular, and more than likely mixed bitter allows with 
the seidlitz powders on purpose to perpetrate the joke. 
At any rate, w^hile on board the boat going up the 
river, the doctor looked for his seidlitz powders, and 
at the first swallow made a terribly w'ry face and 
blurted out: "\Vlio in h — 1 put bitter allow^s in my seid- 
litz powders?'' "I dont know," I replied. "You or- 
dered Rolet to pack the medicines, and he packed 
them." I had not better record exactly what the doc- 
tor said : it was not very complimentary to the hospital 
stewards and ended up with, "D — n the stewards; one 
is a d — n drunkard and the other* is a d — n fool.'' 
Upon reaching Jefferson barracks we were returned to 
our companies. And so ended my experience as a 
doctor. 



40 

I will tell one more anecdote of our Florida cam- 
paign, and then I am done with that. 

A DASTARDLY ACT. 

With the Indians we captured at the battle of 
Douain was a colored boy fourteen years of age, and 
he said he was on board a vessel which was lost on 
the Florida coast. He with the captain and ten men 
were saved in a small boat and reached shore. They 
were standing under the bluf¥, when a voice called 
from above, "Come up here; we will not hurt you." 
The person spoke such good English that no one 
doubted but what everything was all right. But when 
they got up on the clif¥ they met a large band of In- 
dians under Chief Tiger-tail, one of the most treacher- 
ous and bloodthirsty! devils that ever lived. They pre- 
tended to be very friendly. 

The captain had a very pretty bright new hatchet 
which the Indians admired, and the chief borrowed it, 
and each Indian went and cut a club with it, and when 
they had done this the chief spat on his hands as a 
signal and the Indians sprang on the white men and 
beat their brains out with the clubs. But they kept 



41 

the boy, and his story was the first that was ever 
known of what became of the boat and crew. 



AT JEFFERSON BARRACKS. 

While at Jefferson barracks I was taken very sick 
with malarial fever, and while I took the doctor's 
medicine I believe Mother Earth did more for me than 
did the medicine, for every night I would steal out of 
my bed and go to a deep hole in the ground and lay 
there until cooled off and refreshed and then steal back 
again. I always believed that was what cured me. 
While I was in the hospital my company was ordered 
to Fort Scott, then Indian Territory, now Kansas. But 
I was not alone: there were five or six of us left behind 
and when we got well we were sent to join our com- 
mand. A steamboat took us up the Missouri River as 
far as Boonville and the boat froze in. Col. Mason, of 
the First Dragoons, was on board the boat, and he 
told me to get a team and go to Fort Leavenworth, 
Kansas. He said he had some stuff to take up there 
and there would be plenty of room in the wagon for 
us after that. But after the wagon was loaded there 
v^as no room for us and we had to march. Well, we 



42 

got along very well. Whenever we reached a stopping 
place for the night I would order whatever we re- 
quired for men and team, and before we started away 
I would call for my bill and astonish the landlord by 
giving him an order on the quartermaster at Fort 
Leavenworth for his pay. It was useless to kick, for 
we were Uncle Sam's men, and the pay was sure 
though somewhat troublesome to collect; and it was 
a long time after our arrival that the bills were coming 
in and being" promptly paid by the quartermaster. 

We remained only a few days at Fort Leavenworth 
and then went on to Fort Scott. We were given a 
mule and cart and a man to drive to assist us on our 
■way. On Christmas day, 1843, it snowed and rained 
all day, so that when we arrived at the crossing of the 
Merrydezine River the river had risen so we could not 
cross. We remained there a few days until the river 
lowered enough for us to cross, and then we pursued 
our journey. But this delay had not been counted on, 
and our rations ran out, and we were in the wilds 
without food. I took my gun and went in search of 
game. I took a trail and followed it for some distance 
when I was seized with a fit of 



43 



BUCK FEVER. 

I had never hunted game bigger than a squirrel, and 
of course was rather a green hunter after larger game. 
I had not gone up the trail very far when a massive 
large buck deer met me face to face not ten feet away. 
I had heard something and was standing at order 
arms when he walked up to me and looked me square 
in the face. It took me so by surprise that I never 
thought of my gun loaded with ball and three buck- 
shot, and after he had looked me in the eye for a full 
minute he turned and bounded away. Had I had 
sense enough to shoot him it would have furnished us 
meat enough to last for some days. But we were now 
able to pursue our journey on the opposite side of the 
river. 

This section of country came into our hands when 
France ceded Louisiana to the United States, and on 
the west side of the river it was quite thickly popu- 
lated with French, descendants of De Soto, and it was 
chiefly owned by the American Fur Company. So 
after we crossed the river we were well taken care of 
until we reached Fort Scott. We found at Fort Scott 



44 

two companies of artillery, two of infantry and two 
of the First Dragoons. They had built themselves 
very good winter quarters by hewing out logs and 
building log cabins. 



DETAILED AS A CARPENTER. 

There is always more or less carpenter work to be 
done around a fort and officers' quarters. Having 
worked some at carpenter work, I was detailed w^hile 
at the fort on special duty as a carpenter. For this I 
received sixteen cents a day extra pay and a gill extra 
of wdiisky. But as I cared nothing for the whisky, I 
gave it to those wdio liked it better. But the extra 
pay came very good, for a private soldier's pay at that 
time was but seven dollars a month, clothing and 
rations; and the sixteen cents extra brought my pay 
up to eleven dollars and eighty cents per month. There 
was little of interest to note while here at Fort Scott; 
but I wall relate two little incidents to show wdiat may 
come into a soldier's life, and I will explain 



45 



HOW I BECAME A PUGILIST AGAINST MY 
WILL. 

There are always some turbulent spirits among such 
a lot of men, who are ready to stir up a fuss, especially 
if they happen to get a little too much alcoholic spirits. 

One day while at dinner, one of these soldiers of the 
turbulent spirit got into an altercation with a citizen, 
who gave him a deserved drubbing. But not as much 
as he ought to have. Of course I did not see the fracas 
and knew nothing of it until told me. But the turbu- 
lent comrade would not have it that way. He declared 
I saw it and would not come to his assistance, conse- 
quently was not a soldier if I would stand by and see 
a citizen pound a soldier. Denial of course was of no 
avail. But he insisted that I must go out and fight it 
out with him. Now I had no desire to fight, and, as 
he was a much larger man and a well known scrapper, 
it was worse than useless, I considered, trying my 
strength with him and I tried all I could to get out of 
it. But it stood this way: to flatly refuse to fight 
would be to be branded cowardly, and be the butt of 
every one's peccadillos who chose to pick on me, and 



46 

to fight was to go out and take a pounding by a noted 
scrapper who bullied every one. I chose the latter. 
So we Avent out behind a cliff and had it out, and I 
tell you it was not all one-sided by any means. But 
I was like the Frenchman who got in trouble with the 
Yankee and they, agreed that the one who felt 
whipped should cry enough and the other should 
stop. But the poor Frenchman, who was getting the 
worst of it, could not think of the word " enough," so 
he hollowed "Hurrah, hurrah," and the Yankee 
pounded the harder, until the poor Frenchman found 
something desperate was necessary and he put forth 
a mighty effort and turned his opponent and was 
drubbing him unmercifully when the Yankee cried 
"enough." 'There/' said the Frenchman, "That is 
what I was trying to think of a long time ago." But I 
tell you I was not in need of words. But my opponent 
had determined to give me a dreadful pounding and 
I stood it as long as I could, when I made a masterful 
effort and got the better of him, and he was taken to 
the hospital where he remained for several weeks until 
his time expired and he received his discharge. Then 
he came to me and showed me his buzzard, as he 
called his discharge, and said he laid nothing up 



47 . 

against me, as I had given him the whipping he de- 
served and it would have made a man of him if he 
had received it sooner. He invited me to call 
on him if I ever came to Philadelphia and I should 
have the best the town could afford. But I never saw 
him afterward. But it was a great feather in my cap, 
for I was looked upon as the best man in camp after 
that. Tliere was no places of amusement at Fort Scott, 
and the boys were compelled to rely on their own re- 
sources for amusement. 

Some five miles out from the Fort was a place called 
Texas, a sort of frontier town. It consisted of a house 
divided into two parts, with a roof extending over a 
roadway between the two parts. It w^as from this 
place 

I HAD A NARROW ESCAPE. 

We were in the habit of going out there after taps, 
or the hour that the soldiers were supposed to be in 
bed asleep. Of course this means we were absent 
without leave. We would escape out of the barracks 
window, go out to this place and have a stag dance all 
night and' get in before roll call in the morning. A 
squad of us from my company were favorites with 



48 

the landlord, and as I played the flute it was a great 
help to the musical necessities for dancing. There 
was enough of our own crowd, and, consequently, if 
others were there they were advised to depart as the 
signal of our coming was wafted to the ears of the 
landlord through the notes of my flute as I played 
''Hail to the Chief." If the parties failed to take the 
advice of the landlord, a skirmish took place, and, to 
use a phrase of the times, the opposing parties were 
cleaned out. Of course, this was rather rough exer- 
cise and lent a rather tough name to the place. 

Finally one night there was a check roll call and 
six of us reported absent without leave. So Major 
Graham sent a detachment of dragoons out there 
after us. I was the first to see the sabers at the door; 
I called to the boys and made a rush for the door. I 
leveled my flute like a gun and snapped the keys and 
shouted, "Get out of my way or I will blow your 
brains out." They Avere taken by surprise and I rushed 
by and ran all the way to camp and cleaned the mud 
off from my shoes and clothes, just in time for reveille 
and roll call. 

The Orderly Sergeant said to me, "Jin^, you was 
mighty sharp last night, but you look out next tmie." 



49 

The men afterward asked what kind of a gun I had 
that night. I laughed at them and told them it was 
no gun at all, but my flute, and they laughed heartily. 
But I was the only one who escaped. The other boys 
were punished by spending a month in the guard- 
house and losing a month's pay. 

I had now served five years and my term of service 
had about expired and, having no place to call home, 
times were hard, and though the pay of a soldier — 
seven dollars a month, board and clothes, with some 
chances of extra pay — w^as small, yet the pay was sure 
and the money good; for the government never paid 
anything but gold and silver, and these were the days 
of scarcity of money, state bank notes, wild cat paper, 
store orders and trade, so a soldier's pay was not so 
bad after all. And I determined to reinlist. But I did 
not like to stay so far out on the frontier as Fort Scott 
w^as then, so I took my month's furlough and w ent to 
Jefiferson Barracks, Mo., and reinlisted in Company F 
of the same regiment — the Fourth United States In- 
fantry, Captain Page commanding. Captain Page was 
a personal friend of mine and I liked him very much, 
and afterwards mourned his death, for he was killed at 
Palo Alto, Texas, the first battle we got into. 



50 



HOW I BECAME A MUSICIAN. 

I still clung to my flute, and often amused myself 
with it while in my quarters. One day while practicing 
the bandmaster chanced to be passing, and liking the 
music so well, he came in and asked me how I would 
like to join thq band. I told him I would like it real 
well. ''Well," said he, "what instrument would you 
like?" I replied that I would like the trombone. He 
made application for my detail and had me reported 
as learning music. I made such rapid progress that 
in a very few days I was able to appear with the band 
on guard mount. From this on music was my pride, 
my aim and my profession, though I did some service 
in the ranks after that. I was a member of the band 
for ten years, thus making fifteen years of service in all. 

We were at Jefiferson barracks but a few months 
when the whole regiment was ordered to a place 
called Camp Salubrity, near Natchitoches, Louisiana, 
presumably to be near the seat of war should war be 
declared between the United States and Mexico, which 
seemed quite imminent. We here built ourselves nice 
quarters of logs, and were here for some months, and 



51 

then joined the army of occupation and took our posi- 
tion at Corpus Christi, Texas, Col. Twigs in command 
of the post. This was the same Twigs who went out 
of the Union and fought against our flag at the sur- 
render of Fort Sumpter by ]\Iajor Anderson, at the 
beginning of the Rebellion in 1861. 

We were encamped close to the sea and it was a 
beautiful place. Here we had many places of amuse- 
ment. We had a large billiard room and other 
features of comfort, and we built two theaters — "The 
Army" and "The Union." They were of course tem- 
porary, being frame structures with mere clabboard 
sides and covered with canvas. I played the trombone 
in the orchestra of the Union Theater. 

We had about three thousand five hundred men in 
camp. Here I was appointed drum major and had both 
the band and field music in charge, so I continued 
playing in the band and directing both branches of 
music from that position. 

We left Corpus Christi some time in April and took 
up our line of march for the Rio Grande River, a few 
days afterward arriving opposite to Matamoras. Santa 
Anna, the Mexican general, sent dispatches to Gen. 
Taylor to leave in twenty-four hours. Gen. Taylor re- 



52 

plied that they were United States soldiers and had 
come to stay. Thus opened the 

MEXICAN WAR, 

which had been fomenting for some time. And war 
was not declared until May 26th, 1846. 

At this place of occupation we built a very formid- 
able fort and christened it Fort Taylor. Shortly after 
the Fort was completed Gen. Taylor left Major Brown 
in command wath a force of five hundred men, and 
with the remainder of the army took up a line of 
march to Point Isabell, a station on the Gulf of Mex- 
ico, wdiere we had our supplies. 

Though I was drum major at this time, Col. Gar- 
land sent for me and said, ''Mr. Elderkin, we are 
about to take up our line of march to Point Isabell. 
The Mexicans have crossed the river and we are go- 
ing to have a fight and I wish you w^ould take the 
colors of the regiment and carry them into Mexico.^' 
I thanked him for the honor conferred upon me and 
told him that the colors should never be disgraced in 
my hands, and I kept my word and was the first man 
to carrv the American colors on to Mexican soil. 



53 

When we left Fort Taylor, we went in light march- 
ing order, merely taking two days' rations with us, and 
left our knapsacks in the fort, and it was well we did, 
for the Mexicans attacked us in great numbers and 
with artillery, and our men were compelled to use the 
army baggage to build a bomb proof for protection 
So our knapsacks were literally shot to pieces and we 
drew new knapsacks and clothing right away; and we 
all felt well satisfied so long as our clothing saved the 
lives of so many of our comrades. 

The above statement can be found in Bancroft's 
History. 

BATTLE OF PALO ALTO, MAY 8, 1846. 

This occurred on the 8th and 9th of May, 1846. 
Maj. Brown was wounded at Fort Brown. The name 
of Fort Taylor was changed to Fort Brown. 

As I say, we had taken nothing with us but two 
days' rations. We had no protection from the damp 
earth at night or nothing to cover us but the vault 
of the heavens. 

After we arrived at Point Isabell we could hear the 
fighting at Fort Taylor. It took us two days to 



54 

march from Fort Taylor to Point Isabell. We could 
make no fires, as that would expose our position. 

On May the 9th we fought the battle of Reseca de 
la Palma. Here I made an important capture. We 
came upon the Mexicans so sudden we surprised them 
and they left a good dinner all cooked and of course 
we helped ourselves. And it fell to my good luck to- 
get into the quarters of the Mexican Generals Leviga 
and Arista, whom we captured, and though I did not 
capture the generals I did capture a good dinner of 
soup, boiled beef and other eatables, also several boxes 
of fine cigars and a box of claret wine, and a box of 
chocolate. These luxuries were a great prize to a 
tired, hungry soldier who had subsisted on fat pork 
and hardtack and even without that for hours. 

We did not cross over to Matamoras until the next 
day. We stopped here for several days and after we 
crossed over, some of the men found the body of 
Lieut. Porter, who had been killed by a Mexican citi- 
zen, or guerillas or Greaser, as they were more gen- 
erally called. I was ordered to take the body back to 
Point Isabell to be sent to his friends. 

Here I found my own dear old commander, Capt. 
Page, of my company, who had been badly wounded 



55 

at the battle of Palo Alto. A piece of shell carried 
away the captain's lower jaw and took ofif the top of 
a private soldier's head. The soldier's name was Lee. 

The army was now called the Army of Invasion. 
While we were at Matamoras I was taken very sick 
with congestive fever, and came very near dying. 
In those days we had no hospital nurses, not even cots 
for the sick and wounded; had nothing but a mere 
rush mat thrown on the ground. 

Dr. Brown was the army physician who attended 
me and he afterward told me he did not expect I 
would recover, and sent a priest to come and pray 
for me. In those days doctors would not allow a 
drop of cold water in any case of fever. But as it was 
not thought I; could live and as I was begging for 
cold water, the attendant was told to give me all the 
cold water I wished for; so they would bring in a 
large pan of water and after drinking all I wanted, I 
would hold one side of my head in it and then the 
other, and it helped me so much I was well in a few 
days and Dr. Brown told me afterward he learned a 
good lesson, and that was to give a fever patient all 
the cold water he wanted. 



56 

P>oni Matamoras we took boats and went up the 
Rio Grande as far as it was navigable to a little place 
called Caniargo; it was a very sickly place on the Rio 
Grande, about one hundred and fifty miles from its 
mouth. We lost many men here from disease and 
called the place Camp Graveyard. The army was 
here largely reinforced. And we marched on to Mon- 
terey. History records the gallant deeds of our noble 
army at this place. 

The army was now divided into two invading 
armies. One to operate in the north, the other to 
operate in the south. My regiment, the Fourth U. 
S. Infantry, was transferred from Taylors to General 
Scott's command and we again went down the Rio 
Grande to the Brasso, at its mouth, where we took 
ship for \'era Cruz. 

The ships, of course, were merchantment, with 
rough accommodations for the men, hastily put in, 
and consisted of bunks built up, below the decks. 
These were built of green hemlock lumber, three tiers 
high ; and on going to bed we were not allowed lights, 
so had to feel our way. 

We were ten days on board, and our food was fat 
pork, hardtack, beans and rice. The water we had to 



57 

drink was as vile as if dipped from a stagnant goose 
pond. The doctor ordered a gill of vinegar to each 
man, per day, to put in the water he drank. This 
made a little improvement, but not much. We went 
below the city about twelve miles, and when all of the 
ships arrived Ave sailed for the city, each boat towing 
its small boats behind. When we got near the beach 
close to the city, the men clambered over the ship's 
sides into the small boats, and as the small boats 
would ground before reaching shore, the men would 
jump into the sea and wade to shore. 

The army disembarked with little trouble and were 
not molested until night, when the Mexicans attacked 
our pickets several times during the night. We im- 
mediately begaui l)uilding earthworks for protection, 
and for positions to plant our siege guns. The Mexi- 
cans evidently made a mistake in supposing w^e were 
going to attack the castle of San Juan Delhia, and 
they did not discover their error until we were too 
well fortified to be dislodged. We were now within 
a few hundred yards of the city, and continually ad- 
vancing nearer. Each night a body of men would go 
out and work all nis^ht and be relieved the next nieht, 
while a detail of soldiers would go out to protect the 



58 

fatigue party while at work. The doctor, with instru- 
ments and medicines, was on the Une and the musi- 
cians in attendance with stretchers to carry the 
wounded off the field and to assist the doctor. I was 
with the doctor one day and Col. Garland sent for 
me, and asked me if I would volunteer to carry dis- 
patches over to Gen. Worth. Of course I complied, 
though the way was over an exposed position and 
over a hill with not a thing to shelter a man from the 
Mexican fire. Said the colonel, "Now don^t go stalk- 
ing along as straight as an arrow as if you had a ram- 
rod thrust down your back to keep it stiff; bend over 
and conceal yourself as much as possible, and pick 
your way without attracting any more attention than 
you can help; and you need not expose yourself by 
coming back. Stay in camp.^' 

The city was one side of the hill, of course, and the 
line of advance between the hill and the city. 

Let me here call the attention of the reader to the 
difference of the arms of those days and to-day. Re- 
member there were no Gatling guns or machine guns 
of any kind. No, nor breech-loading guns of any 
kind, not even the oldest style of revolvers. Nothing 
but old flint-lock muskets for small arms and the ar- 



59 

tillery was very crude and short range, so two armies 
must come very close together before they could do 
any effective work. 

The caliber of both musket and cannon was very 
large, and the cannon were little more than explosive 
catapults, throwing gigantic shells, that could be seen 
by the naked eye as hurled through the air. 

When I was well up on the hill I thought I would 
look back and see the city and I turned around; I 
saw a puff of smoke, a great black object came flying 
toward me, and a shell of monstrous proportions, at 
least as large as a water pail, burst over my head. 
None of the pieces hit me, but the concussion was so 
great that it made me very deaf for days after that. 

I was no longer courageous to see the city, but got 
on the other side of the hill as quickly as possible. 

With our sharpshooters of to-day no man could 
ever get across such a place. 

I am now seventy-eight years old and I naturally 
feel it is the goodness of God which has preserved 
my health and memory, so that all the events of my 
life from boyhood days are as fresh in my memory 
as those of years ago. I feel that God has been good 



6o 



to nie and I feel very thankful to God for all he has 
done for me. 

RAPID WORK. 

Let it be remembered I told you General Taylor 
had defeated and captured General Arista at the bat- 
tle of Palo Alto, May 8th, 1846, and the battle of 
Reseca de la Palma, May 9th, and after this, in the 
same month, both governments declared war. 

May 1 8th, General Taylor captured Matamoras, and 
on September 24th he captured Monterey. 

P)y casualties, with details of posts of occupation 
and number of men General Scott had drawn from 
Taylor's command, it left Taylor with but five thou- 
sand men, and with this small number he met and 
defeated Santa Anna at Buena ^^ista with twenty-two 
thousand men February 23d, 1847. 

We had in our army under General Scott but ten 
thousand men to meet Santa Anna with thirty thou- 
sand. But we were successful and captured Vera 
Cruz March i8th, 1847. 

The advance pursued the retreating M'exicans, and 
as soon as the main army had rallied and reorganized 
it followed closely on to the advance and we fought 



6i 

the battle of Cero Gardo April 25th; San Antonio 
and Canteerus, and Cherusbusco, August 20th; Mo- 
lino del Rey, September 8th, and Chapultepec, Sep- 
tember 13th, and on September 14th, 1847, '^ve en- 
tered the City of Mexico, the Mexican capital. This 
ended the fighting, but we remained the army of occu- 
pation until the treaty of peace was concluded on the 
2d of February, 1848. This, of course, necessitated 
very rapid movements and quick work and active 
campaigning. Yet we had time to note the peculiari- 
ties of the country and familiarizing ourselves with 
many of its customs and conditions. Just before the 
battle of Cero Gardo we spent a few days at the City 
of Jalapa; this is a beautiful city of thirty thousand 
population and is four thousand three hundred and 
forty feet above the sea level. It is a favorite resort 
for invalids. Puebla is another beautiful city still 
higher up, and so high at this point that when people 
first arrive in the city they begin to expand on ac- 
count of the rarefied air, and their clothing though 
loose before, soon becomes so tight as to be uncom- 
fortable. It at first frightened our soldiers, for they 
thought they were about to be attacked by some ter- 
rible disease, as the change brought on a slight diar- 



62 

rhoea and much bloating and wind. But the doctor 
assured the men that it was not a dangerous attack 
and they would soon find themselves better for the 
change, which was true. The climate here is very 
fine and notwithstanding the high altitude I never saw 
a flake of snow, except as we looked away to the top 
of the great volcanic mountain of Orizabo, wdiich 
towers eighteen thousand feet above the sea level. 
Here on that mountain, snow could be seen the year 
around. 

It was while at Jalapa I learned to speak the Span- 
ish language, and I think it the sweetest sounding lan- 
guage in the world. 

These Mexican cities, in their strange and pictur- 
esque beauty are indescribable. They all have beauti- 
ful parks with numerous cascade fountains, where the 
clear sparkling water comes gurgling and gushing 
from the mouths of dragons and serpents, and other 
strange designs, or dashing over miniature precipices. 
The parks are also thickly studded with a magnificent 
foliage of many varieties, including giant trees of im- 
mense height and from four to six feet in diameter 
at the butt. 



63 

Cero Gardo is a very strange position high in the 
mountain. A great plateau of table land with giant 
precipices here, and towering ledges of rock there, 
standing askew as if nature, when the earth was cool- 
ing from a molten mass, had wrenched the earth 
asunder, grasping and tearing out a huge propor- 
tion and carrying it away to leave a shelf where man 
might get a foothold and build his habitation. It 
was here in this strange place we captured General 
Santa Anna's carriage, his wooden leg and a large 
box of Alexican dollars. We also captured forty 
pieces of artillery and seven thousand prisoners. 

Such arms and property we could not remove was 
consigned to flames and destroyed and the prisoners 
paroled. 

While at Jalapa, we took a very strong fort called 
Perota Castle, situated on a plain where it can be 
seen for a great distance. Here we found great dun- 
geons and confined in them the desperate characters 
of Mexico. We found confined here the notorious 
Mexican bandit, Captain Camiloes, I believe was his 
name, and a large number of his men. The leader 
promised General Scott that if he would liberate them, 
they would serve and be true to this country as long 



64 

as the war lasted. They were liberated and the leader 
given a colonel's commission in our army, over his 
own men, of course, and they acted as scouts, and 
General Scott procured information in this way he 
could have procured in no other way. But these were 
as bloodthirsty a lot of devils as ever lived; the captain 
had perfect control over them, but he was as merciless 
as the rest. On one occasion they met a Spanish 
nobleman with his daughter. They killed the father, 
and one of the men insulted the young girl when the 
leader or colonel shot him dead. Such was their 
peculiar sense of justice and honor. 

Concentress was the only battle mentioned in which 
I was not engaged in in General Scott's campaign. 
It was taken very quickly, early in the morning, by 
Colonel Riley's forces. At the battle of Cherubusco 
Michigan lost some men from the First Michigan In- 
fantry, one of whom's name was William Cunning- 
ham. Sergeant Cunningham went from Detroit. His 
w^ife was a sister to my wife, though at this time I 
was not married and never knew him. He was in 
the same regiment with the late Colonel W. D. Wil- 
kins, of Detroit, who afterward was long identified 
with the Detroit Lig^ht Guards. 



65 

At the beginning of the war the Mexican govern- 
ment offered great inducements to deserters of the 
American army. To those capable of taking com- 
mand they offered commissions and to all great land 
bounties, and other inducements. As there were 
quite a number of adventurers, or wanderers from all 
nations in our army — men who considered no particu- 
lar country their home, many of them became dazzled 
by these offers, and deserted and joined the Mexicans. 

After we got possession of a fort that commanded 
a bridge going into Cherubusco, there was firing from 
a church, about a hundred yards from the fort. As it 
overlooked our position we could not see the firing 
parties, while they were picking off our men rapidly. 
Colonel Garland ordered up a piece of captured ar- 
tillery and brought it to bear on the church. As soon 
as the parties in the church saw the uselessness of 
farther resistance they displayed a white flag. They 
came into the fort and threw down their arms, and the 
officer approached Colonel Garland and said: "If you 
treat us as prisoners of war we will not take up arms 
against the United States as long as the war lasts. '^ 
There were sixty of them. All were recognized as 
deserters, some having deserted at Fort Brown and 



66 

others later on. They were all tried by court martial 
and sentenced to be hung. The sentence was exe- 
cuted on all but one. Colonel Riley, who escaped with 
the punishment of being branded on the left cheek 
with the letter D — deserter. It was placed in the 
hands of General Harney to see the decision of the 
court martial should be carried into effect. He was 
the same rough old Indian fighter known as the 
*'Squaw Killer/' from his killing a scjuaw who at- 
tacked him, and his ordering the men to fire on the 
squaws as well as the men. On the morning of the 
execution one of the prisoners was reported too sick 
to be brought out. But the old general said: "Bring 

him out and hang him; d n him, that will cure 

him." 

After leaving CherubAisco we crossed a bridge and 
went to a small place, called Tuckeybia. It is only 
three miles from the city of Mexico, and near this 
was a place of importance for us to take called Molino 
del Ray. Here was a fort of stone built in the middle 
of the road, called in English, King's Mills. This was 
only about three hundred yards from the Castle of 
Chapultepec. The night before the battle we had 
orders to remain under arms all ni^ht. Early in the 



67 

morning we commenced to move toward King's Mills. 
I was back in my position with the band again and 
I did not like to stay behind so I tried to get a mus- 
ket, but the extra guns were in the wagons and I 
could get none. So 1 went to Major Lee and told 
him I wanted to go with the regiment and asked him 
what I should do. Said he: "You can act as my or- 
derly,'' as he was in command of the regiment, Colonel 
Garland then being in conmiand of the brigade. We 
had been under arms all night and without a mo- 
ment's sleep, so we were well night fatigued out; we 
moved close to the fort, before daylight, and laid 
down and at the first blast of their bugle for reveille, 
we charged the works, at first covered by artillery 
which consisted of four light batteries, Ringold, Dun- 
can, Stepto and McGruder in command. The horses 
were sent to the rear and the men shoved the artillery 
up before them and fired as they went. 

This was the hottest engagement I ever experienced. 
The balls came so thick one could not help feeling 
like putting his hand before his face as if it were hail, 
yet we kept so close to the ground that we escaped 
most of the damage we otherwise must have received. 
But as it was we lost many men, and among them 



6S 

Lieut. Prince, of my regiment. He was the man who 
enhsted me at Schenectady, N. Y., in 1839. He was 
shot in the thigh, and I carried him into a house 
close by. 

The next day we had to take ChapuUepec ; this is 
a castle only three miles from the city of Mexico. 
And as the streets were blocked and batteries so placed 
to sweep the' streets, our men were compelled to go 
through the houses, knocking down walls and so cut- 
ting our way through from house to house. But be- 
fore we reached this point of attack we laid siege to 
the castle for several days. We had large siege guns 
and mortars placed and bombarded it until w^e were 
ready to make the assault. 

One day I went down to see the working of the 
'guns while bombarding, and while I was at the fort 
they fired one of the pieces. I chanced to be a little 
in the advance of the piece though not in range, of 
course, but quite sufficient to give me a terrible shock 
and nearly deafened me for a time. I noticed a man 
near the gates of the castle on horseback, and when 
the shell burst it killed man and horse, blowing them 
all to pieces. 



69 

The day we stormed the stronghold I would not 
remain in the rear with the band but got a gun from 
the Eighth Infantry, and fell in with the storming 
party. We were provided with rope ladders with 
hooks attached; these we would throw up and grapple 
the top of the wall and climb up and throw the ladder 
over and descend on the other side. Of course there 
was hard fighting to prevent our entrance. Here a 
Mexican officer attempted to prevent my descending 
from the wall and I was compelled to shoot him. 
This terrible thing grew into a deed of gallantry and 
I have still in my possession a Record of Merit given 
me by President James K. Polk for this day^s work. 
I now fell in with Company C of my regiment and 
Orderly Sergeant Shadly, who was in command of the 
company, told me to take his place at the right of 
the company; I did so and stayed with them for some 
time. We were now following the Mexicans right up 
to the gates of the city of Mexico. 

They had erected a number of forts in the streets 
and it was hard fighting as we advanced and drove 
them before us. After turning a bend in the road I 
noticed some Mexicans industriously firing at our 
men; I took deliberate aim and fired, and although 



70 

they were two hundred yards away I wounded one 
of them, and we soon drove them out and I captured 
the one I had wounded. General U. S. Grant was 
then captain and was quartermaster. Chancing to see 
him I took my prisoner to him. Captain Grant told 
me to break his gun and let him go, which I did. 
This squad of men were guarding a Spanish gentle- 
man's home; when I came up to the house the old 
gentleman was terribly frightened, and he came out 
with his sixteen-year-old daughter on one arm and 
with the other hand extended he held a bag of gold, 
I told him, in the best Spanish I could command, that 
I was a soldier and not a robber. Yet I must say I 
started out with some idea that I might gather in 
some wealth: ])ut when I saw that poor old man with 
his pretty daughter on his arm and half-scared to 
death and begging for mercy, I could not have 
touched his gold. But alas, poor old man, he made 
the mistake of supposing' all would serve him the 
same as I did, but the next man who came up took 
the prof erred l^ag of gold, and, I was told, the bag 
contained seven thousand dollars in doubloons, and I 
have often thought I might as well have had it as 
the other fellow. Just at this time Captain Grant, 



71 

who had left his trusty assistant, Sam Smith, in charge 
of the quartermasters department, and was at the 
front for business, called for volunteers from a lot of 
men who seemed to be fighting on their own hook as 
it were, and as the captain was doing the same thing, 
he called about thirty of them together, ^nd I joined 
the crowd, and we followed along down the side of 
the aqueduct which supplies the city of Mexico with 
water, to a little fort which Captain Grant and his 
forces captured. We held this until relieved by other 
advancing forces. When Captain Grant tried to dis- 
lodge another body of men who were doing our forces 
much damage. But we could not get at them; in 
some way Captain Grant got a small piece of artillery, 
and we took it on top of a house and fired there. 
Under the protection of this gun the men cut their 
way from house to house, and thus drove the enemy 
before us. Our loss was very small in comparison 
to what it would have been had we tried to advance 
up the road. In passing through the houses in this 
way, it offered great inducements for plunder. But 
the ridiculousness of a soldier bothering with plunder 
may be readily seen when you consider we were hun- 
dreds of miles in the interior of an enemy's country. 



72 

with no means of transporting food while we marched 
out of it, much less to transport plunder. Yet there 
were some so foolish as to attempt to take plunder. 
One foolish fellow came out of one of the houses with 
a large bundle of silk dresses and such stufif. He 
attempted to cross the street when he was wounded 
by a grape shot striking him in the leg. He dropped 
to the earth and cooly put the bundle under his head. 
Several times our men tried to save him, but were 
driven back, so he was left to his fate, which was of 
short duration, for another shot hit him in the head 
and ended his career. 

By this time we had been fighting all day, and 
arrived at the gates of the City of Mexico. 

I must here state, for the benefit of those not fam- 
iliar with the history of Mexico, that the old City of 
Mexico was walled in, but it had expanded beyond 
the walls. 

As I was standing, looking around, Captain Grant 
approached leading a mule. He said to me, "Here is 
a nice mule; you can have it if you want it." I took 
the mule and thanked him, and lead the mule over 
to where I intended to stop for the night, and tied 
it to a tree, and that was the last I ever saw of it. 



7Z 

For that night the city was surrendered, and we were 
to take possession in the morning-.. So amid the ex- 
citement and hurry some one else lead the mule away. 
The next morning" we entered the city with much 
pomp and parade. 

General Scott was a very large man, six foot six in 
hight, and built in proportion, and he rode a very 
large and magnificient horse. Wearing a bright uni- 
form with a large hat and feather, he was a wonder- 
ful sight to see. 

The whole army had slicked up as much as possi- 
ble, and a proud general and a proud army it was; 
and it had a right to be proud after so long a march, 
and fighting so many battles without loosing a battle. 
The bands were playing and flags flying, pomp, par- 
ade and show. We were even welcomed by many 
Mexicans. But there were some who tried to wel- 
come us too warmly, and notwithstanding the official 
surrender of the city, they fired on us from some of 
the houses. 

General Scott then gave the order to the provost 
guards to enter houses where firing took place and 
kill every inmate regardless of sex or age. But the 
only case where I ever heard of the thing being done 



74 

was a case where a lieutenant saw some men firing, 
and he got a lot of armed teamsters together and 
captured the men, and took them all out and placed 
them up beside a stone wall, and gave the order, 
''Make ready, take aim, fire;" I believe fifteen fell 
dead. 

After entering the City of Mexico many strange 
things took place. Saloons were thrown open, liquor 
was plenty, and some heedless men drank until in- 
toxicated, and dropped to sleep wherever they chanced 
to be. Alas, poor fellows, many of them slept their 
last sleep, for as soon as found alone and helpless 
the Mexicans would cut their throats. I saw one of 
our own men fall to sleep intoxicated. I passed on 
and opened the faucets and let the liquor run away 
to keep it from the men, and on turning back a few 
moments afterward I saw this poor fellow's throat was 
cut from ear to ear. 

Shortly after we entered the city the Mexican 
Bandit Scouts, freed, and employed by General Scott, 
went to the Mexican mint and helped themselves ; one 
of our men by the name of Dan Carr, a drummer, 
went with them, and he filled his haversack with the 
bright coin and brought it to camp. 



75 

I will here relate a few incidents of war, and which 
still come up fresh in my memory. Every reader of 
history will quickly recognize the name of 

GENERAL PHIL. KERNEY. 

I knew General Kerney well when he was a lieutenant 
in the Dragoons, and a more courageous man never 
lived, but he was very eccentric. He loved a beautiful 
horse and a fine looking soldier above everything else 
on earth. He was very wealthy, and if he saw an 
uncommon line appearing young soldier w^ho kept 
everything neat and clean, he would often stop him 
and compliment him on his soldierly appearance, and 
perhaps give him several dollars in money. If there 
Avas anything new in saddles or equipments came up 
and the government was slow in adopting- them, 
Kerney would equip his company with them at his 
own expense. He always had several very fine horses, 
and on one occasion, just before the Mexican war, we 
w^ere in camp at Forti Gibson. The lieutenant was 
slicking up his quarters and whitewashing stables 
when one of the men asked him what he should white- 
wash. The lieutenant replied, "Whitewash everything, 



76 

d — n it." Now the lieutenant had one beautiful black 
horse he thought everything of, and as the men had 
,been roughly told to whitewash everything, they, for 
mischief, whitewashed the horse. When Kerney 
came out and saw the horse he said to his servant, 
"Andrew, what d — n fool has put that horse in here; 
what horse is it?'' The servant, finally recognizing 
the horse, said, "It is your horse, lieut." "It is no 
such a d — n thing, it is not my horse, turn him out.'* 
Strange to say, this eccentric man would never have 
anything to do with or claim the horse after that; it 
had been disgraced. 

The first U. S. Dragoons was the finest body of men 
I ever saw. Their uniforms were beautiful black 
jackets, a straight hat, from which waved long and 
beautiful black plumes. Horses the best that Uncle 
Sam could provide for them. When they rode in line, 
wheeled and maneuvered at the sound of the bugle, 
it was a sight to inspire any man with enthusiasm and 
pride. 

Lieutenant Kerney with his company charged on 
the gates of tlie City of Mexico, and it was in this 
gallant charge that the lieutenant lost his arm. 



77 



MY FIRST EXPERIENXE WITH AN EARTH- 
QUAKE. 

While we were in the city, the band occupied the 
upper floors of a large building-. We were expected 
to leave the city at any moment. 

One morning, about nine o'clock, I was getting 
ready for guard mount, and while putting on my 
sash I felt a reeling sensation as if I could not keep 
my feet, and was about to say to the men, I will not 
be able to go on duty, when I looked up and saw^ a 
crack in the roof and walls of the building. I told 
the men to get out of the building as quickly as pos- 
sible. 

Mr. Flair, a Mexican veteran and mepiber of the 
band, declared I was excited, and said, "Get out, get 
out of this, you devils, get out of this." I was no 
doubt excited some, and remember distinctly what I 
said, and that I told the men to get down out of the 
building as quickly as possible. Well might a person 
feel sick and excited, for when we reached the street 
the houses seemed to be dancing a reel. I had an 
experience of this kind in California afterward. 



78 



A STRANGE WAY OF SUBSISTING AN ARMY. 

Perhaps in no other case is it recorded in history 
where an invading army, by treaty, purchased its 
suppHes of the country invaded. But such was the 
case here. There was an armistice called, and Gen- 
eral Scott made arrangements with the Mexican Gov- 
ernment tliat we might purchase our supplies of them; 
so we would send a wagon train, under guard and flag 
of truce, to the gates of the City of Mexico, and a 
Mexican guard would take them and return the 
wagons filled with flour, beans, sugar, cofifee, bacon 
and other eatables and forage for the teams. 

This arrangement was very fortunate, as it saved 
us from transporting the stufif, by teams, over a hun- 
dred miles from Vera Cruz, or from robbing the in- 
habitants, and thus making more bitter foes; so in this 
way we only had the army and not an outraged public 
to fight. 



79 



WE LEAVE MEXICO. 

The war over, and peace declared, the invading 
army must now leave Mexico, so we marched back 
to Tuckeybia and halted a few days, and then went to 
Vera Cruz, where ships were awaiting us. Our march 
was hurried, so the ships would not have long to wait, 
and consequently w^e were very fatigued. But we were 
all anxious to get on board ship so as to get home as 
soon as possible. Our native land seemed more dear 
to us than ever before, as we had been absent in an 
enemy's country for two years. Although our experi- 
ence was a varied one and not entirely void of passing 
mterest and pleasure. 

We found the ships in a much better condition on 
our return than those in which we came. Such com- 
forts could not last long, and we were but a few days 
on board ship when we arrived at Pascagoula camp, 
near New Orleans, a little ways from Mobile Bay, 
This camp was called Camp Jefferson Davis, after the 
name of the Secretary of War, who was afterward 
President of the Southern Confederacy. It was a very 
pretty place, a resort for New Orleans people during 



8o 



the sickly season. We had the best of dramatic talent 
in our regiment, and we built a theater so we could 
use it and amuse ourselves. General Taylor came 
here to visit us, and we gave him a picnic at an island 
a short distance away. But here again, it seemed to 
be too nice a place, and we did not stay long, but 
went from here to New Orleans. Here we went on 
board an old ship the government had purchased to 
take us to New York. But she was a rotten old thing 
and had no accommodations. No bunks, or even any 
way of cooking, so we were compelled to live on hard 
tack and raw salt pork. We were compelled to sleep 
below, and around on the floor, or wherever we could 
find a place. Every reel of the old tub would bring 
the sea water down the hatches and wet the men. 

After we left the mouth of the Alississippi, a terrible 
storm came up and played the deuce with us. The 
ship lost her rudder, and sustained other damages, and 
left us at the mercy of the waves, and for three days 
we were tossed about and no one thought it was possi- 
ble for us to ever reach safety. But Divine destiny 
had decreed differently. 

The fourth morning a calm came over the face of 
the waters. The sun shone bright and clear, not a 



8i 

cloud to be seen, and it seemed to me we had risen 
right out of the sea. While the storm lasted we were 
engulfed in the ocean, seemingly with walls of water 
on every side; but now it seemed as if we had risen 
high above it. 

About ten o'clock we could see smoke a great dis- 
tance away. The captain said they had discovered 
our signal and came to our rescue. A tremendous 
cheer went up from the men when the announcement 
was made. The smoke we saw came from a tug boat 
out in search of wrecks. The tug towed us back to 
New Orleans. We were now put aboard the steamer 
Crescent City, a very fine boat, and once more started 
for New York. But again we were destined for 
trouble. The pilot who was assigned to take us out 
had bad eyesight and ran us aground, near the mouth 
of the river, and we were compelled to stay there for 
five days and to unload her cargo, and then it took 
four tugs and much hard swearing to get her oflf. 
After this we had no more trouble, but went straight 
to Havana, Cuba. We passed right under the walls 
of Morro Castle and went into the harbor. We 
stayed here for five days, and enjoyed it very much. 
I was favorably impressed with Havana at that time. 



82 

I listened to some of the finest music I ever heard. 
They had two of as fine bands there as I have ever 
had the pleasure of Hstening to. The band that 
played at the Governor-General's Palace was one hun- 
dred pieces strong, and they played every night for 
two hours. The air was full of music all of the time. 

After leaving Havana we pressed on to New York. 
We put in at Wilmington, North Carolina, and stayed 
for five days, and again pursued our course. 

Nothing happened to disturb us and we arrived in 
New York all right. We here reshipped and went to 
Albany, N. Y. We were here put upon all sorts of 
box and freight cars and started for Buffalo. We 
made a number of stops on the way so the men could 
get coffee, and warm meals. At Buffalo we took the 
boat for 

DETROIT. 

When we arrived in Detroit, November 17, 1848, 
Detroit, Michigan, was a very small place. The city 
had no more than ten thousand inhabitants at that 
time. We were quartered in a barracks which occu- 
pied the ground where the Arbeiter Hall now stands, 
at the corner of Catherine and Russell streets. The 
barracks and grounds took in the whole space now 



83 

bounded on the south by Catherine street, on the 
north by Gratiot, on the east by Russell and on the 
west by Rivard street. 

The grounds of the Municipal building, where the 
Police and Recorder's Courts are held, was then the 
city's burying grounds. There were no pavements and 
very few sidewalks in the city. The soldiers built a 
lengthwise and three-plank wide sidewalk from the 
barracks down to Jefferson avenue, so we could march 
down to church corner Woodward avenue and Wood- 
bridge street. Nearly all of the way to Jefferson ave- 
nue was commons; in fact, from Beaubien street east 
and from the river to Catherine street was commons, 
swarming with plover, which made fine shooting for 
the sportsman. East and north of the barracks was 
very much heavy timbered land. 

We had been in Detroit some time when tw^o of my 
brothers, hearing I was in Detroit, came to see me. 
This Avas the first time I had seen any of my folks 
since I left my brothers' place so abruptly thirteen 
years before. I went with them, to their homes down 
in Ohio, and stayed for some time, and when my 
furlough expired returned to the company. 

The regimental band and two companies only were 
stationed here, the rest of the Fourth U. S. Infantry 
were placed as follows: Mackinaw, Fort Gratiot, 



84 

Oswego, Platsburgh and Niagara and Sault de Ste. 
Marie. 

Captain U. S. Grant, the late President Grant, was 
in command here. His residence was on Fort street 
east. I now pass the house nearly every day. Captain 
Grant was very friendly to me, and I used to take his 
mail down to his house every day, and it was on one 
of these trips I met my fate, and here comes the 

LOVE STORY 

of my life. Up to a couple of years ago there stood 
an old building, on the south side of Catherine street 
near Russell, where lived a German family by the 
name of Bessinger. As I passed the house one morn- 
ing I saw a beautiful dark-eyed young girl training 
some vines: they were laden with beautiful flowers, 
and she in her youthful beauty looked to me more 
like a beautiful flower than all of the rest. 

I asked her the name of the flower she seemed to 
be admiring, and she said, 'Tt is a morning glory.^' 
''Well,'- said I, ''then you must be an evening beauty/^ 
After this I managed to call her attention every time 
I passed that way ; and I am afraid I passed quite fre- 
quent, for our friendship soon ripened into a first 
class love match. But this did not quite suil; her 
mother, for this girl was little more than a child and 




TAKEN AT SACKETT'S HARBOR, N. Y., 1S51 (FROM 
DAGUERREOTYPE). 



85 

the youngest and the pet of the family, and the mother 
said, "I have already two daughters who married 
soldiers, and you must not go and leave me." But 
young love knows no laws, locksmiths or language 
they can allow to baffle, or hinder them, so it was 
soon arranged, and a little girl, a friend, would call 
on Mary and take her out for a walk, and of course 
they always knew just where to find me. But {his 
dodging and stolen opportunities seemed too much 
of a hardship and we determined to get married. So 
when I got everything ready, George Harron, who is 
still in the city, came with his carriage, and was in 
waiting when she sHded out to meet me. We jumped 
into the carriage and were driven to Justice Wilker's 
house. He performed the marriage ceremony, and his 
wife was one of the witnesses and Sergeant Burgan 
was the other. It was this way I met and married 
my dear wife, the noble woman, who with ever watch- 
ful care, like a ministering angel, hovered over me 
when ill or anticipated my daily wants, and counseled 
with me, thus following my fortunes, through long 
and wearied travel and on the tented field or in my 
city home, where the peaceful pursuits made the quiet 
and happiness of home life possible. She died July 



86 



1 8th, 1888. Therefore nearly forty years of wedded 
bliss smoothed over many of the rough spots in 
seventy-eight years of rugged life. 

As soon as the marriage ceremony was performed 
we returned to the barracks, and I found a boarding: 
place for my wife across the street from the barracks 
on Russell street. Afterward I had a place prepared 
for her at the barracks. 

I was financially very short at this time, but I had 
many friends who stood ready to assist me. I was 
thirty years old at this time and she sixteen; thus it 
will be seen I was fourteen years older than my wife. 

I reinlisted in Detroit for five years, making fifteen 
years' service in the United States Regular Army. We 
were in Detroit a little over a year when the two 
companies here were ordered to Sackett's Harbor,. 
New York, where we remained one year, when we got 
orders to California. While we were stationed at 
Sackett's Harbor Lieutenant McConnel was adjutant 
of the regiment, but was absent from the post for a 
few days, and Captain U. S. Grant was acting in his 
place. 

I had a drummer in the band by the name of Her- 
man. Herman was a very good man, and a good 



8/ 

drummer, but he had one great failing. He drank 
too much whisky for his own good. Furthermore, he 
was continually absenting himself when he had duty 
to perform. I had frequently reprimanded him for 
this, and the very day before the following event I 
told him if he did not attend to his duty better in the 
future I would be compelled to make a complaint 
against him. But the next evening Avhen it w^as time 
to beat the tatoo he w^as absent. He came about ten 
minutes late. I said nothing to him until after tatoo, 
and then I went to him and told him to go get his 
blanket, as I was going to put him in the guard house. 
He showed his resentment by assailing me; but I was 
too quick for him and was compelled to knock him 
down. After he came to he set up a terrible howl, 
and the officers all came out of their quarters to see 
what was the matter. I took him to the guard house 
and then reported the matter to Captain Grant. I also 
told him I had some dangerous men, who, when in- 
toxicated, would resent arrest with personal violence, 
and that my orders were not to strike a man. Said 
he, "Who gave you that order?" Said I, ''Adjutant 
McConnel." "Well, I tell you, if a man resists arrest, 
knock him down." 



88 

Adjutant McConnel was a good man and a fine 
officer, but he was not the prompt disciphnarian that 
Captain Grant showed himseh* to be. 

While at this post the l^and spent two weeks at 
each of the different posts where the other companies 
of the regiment were stopping, Sault Ste. Marie, 
Mackinaw, Fort Gratiot, Oswego, Platsburgh and 
Niagara. At all of these places our music was appre- 
ciated and we were well received by the comrades and 
citizens. 

The leader of our band at this time was a fine mu- 
sician, as well as a gentleman. He was a Prussian by 
birth, and had served in the Prussian army. He en- 
listed in Detroit some time before we went to Sackett's 
Harbor. Prior to his enlistment we had a band leader 
by the name of Hess; he also was a German, but was 
considered by officers as a back number, and they 
desired to get a leader more modern. Though Mr. 
Hess was a good old gentleman, he was a wheezy, 
stuff ey old man, always with a snuff box in his hand, 
and almost filthy in appearance. But when he en- 
listed good musicians were hard to get, and he was 
very important and would not enlist unless allowed 
to resign whenever he wished to, and this was granted. 



89 

He organized the 1)and at Fort Gil^son. I remember 
it well; his mitsicians were nearly all amateurs, and it 
was S(y)me time before his music sounded much better 
than the howl of a pack of wolves. One day the 
colonel said to him, "How does your band get along?'' 
"Oh,'' said he, "dey play hell mit de Chief, and blixon 
mit Hail Columbia." But the ofificers had a chance to 
do better and they determined to get rid of him. 

One morning after guard mount the adjutant came 
to him and asked, "Mr. Hess, what was that last piece 
of music you played?" The old man expected a com- 
pliment, and vigorously tapped his snufif box and 
offered it to the adjutant, and said, "I make him mid 
out my own head." "Well," replied the adjutant, "Mr. 
Hess, you go to the quartermaster and get a spade 
and pickaxe, and take your music, and go out behind 
the hospital and dig a deep hole and bury it." The 
old gentleman was taken by surprise and fell into a 
very wrathy mood and demanded his discharge at 
once. The adjutant told him to go down to head- 
quarters and get his discharge; it was all ready for 
him. "O!" said he, 'T will go and I will go right 
down mit the river." Poor old man, that was the 



90 

last I ever saw of him. It was rather a questionable 
way of dealing with him. But our band was much 
improved by the new band leader, Mr. Walters. But 
he did not stay with us long, for he died of fever at 
Panama when on our way to California. 

My father fought in the war of 1812, and Sackett's 
Harbor was familiar ground to him, and on that ac- 
count the place was of great interest to me. It was 
now time for us to leave Sackett's Harbor, and so we 
broke camp and started on our way 

TO CALIFORNIA. 

We first went to Governor's Island, and stayed a 
few days, and on the fifth of July, 1852, six of our 
companies got on board the splendid steamer Ohio. 
We went by the way of Panama, but the other four 
companies went by the way of Cape Horn, andj did 
not reach their destination for about six months after. 
After eleven days out we landed at Aspinwall, on the 
Isthmus of Panama. We took cars here, eighteen 
miles to the Shegress River, when the troops crossed 
•over to a small place called Georgonia, and marched 
to Panama on the Pacific side. The officers' wives 
and band, in charge of the quartermaster. Captain 



91 

Grant, took small boats and went down the river as 
far as Cruzes. Here we stayed for the night, and dur- 
ing the night some of the men were taken with the 
cholera, and the next morning the quartermaster came 
to me and said, "The government allows twenty dol- 
lars to each lady to pay for a mule to cross the isthmus 
with." Audi he gave me a twenty-dollar gold piece 
and told me to go and get a mule for my wife to ride, 
for Panama was twenty-eight miles away. But the 
mules were all taken up by other passengers before 1 
got around. I reported to Captain Grant, and he said, 
then you will have to walk, because the cholera is 
here, and it is dangerous to remain. Said he, "Your 
wife cannot go in skirts, you will have to rig her out 
in male attire; you can use the twenty dollars as you 
see fit. But drink as little water as possible. You 
had better get some wine and use instead of water." 
I told the captain I had a pair of pants my wife could 
wear, but no coat. Said he, "I have a coat;" and he 
got one of his own coats, and a cap for her to wear. 
The pants, of course, were too long, and were rolled 
up to her knees, and she made such a pretty boy that 
she attracted the attention of ever}- one, and it amuses 
me to this day to look back on that picture of forty- 



92 

seven years ago, and see myself, a young robust man, 
and my wife in her white pants and white shirt, blue 
coat and capi trudging beside me, and to add to her 
peculiar boyish appearance she wore my sash and 
sword, and carried a haversack with our edibles, and 
two bottles of claret wine, for which I paid two dol- 
lars. 

The Spanish residents would say, when seeing the 
seemingly pretty boy. "Ista boneto machata." A 
handsome boy. But upon seeing her earrings they 
would exclaim, '*No machata, ista boneto signoreta." 
Not a boy, but a handsome young girl. 

I was afraid my wife could not stand the hardship 
of the long march; but she stood it well, and it was 
the very worst time of year to cross the isthmus, for 
it was in July, the rainy season, and it would come up 
a rain almost from a clear sky, and pour down in 
torrents, for five or ten minutes, and then the sun 
would come out clear and so hot that in a very few 
minutes it would lick up every bit of moisture, and in 
a very little while this w^ould be repeated. 

The whole way we wer-e passing through forests, 
which were alive with the chatter of monkeys and 
song of birds. The monkeys were swinging from 



93 

branch to branch of the trees and the chatter of the 
parrots were heard on every hand. One strange 
scene I remember well. We saw in the ditsance a 
long green line wriggling along the way ; it looked like 
a mighty serpent, but we soon saw it was too long 
for a snake and too even in its proportions. Upon 
nearer inspection we found it was a line of army ants 
marching and carrying a large green leaf as protection 
from the sun. At least that seemed to be the purpose 
from the way each carried the leaf. 

The face of the country was mountainous nearly all 
of the way, and the mountains were very steep, and 
the roadway a mere path, traversed for ages by pack 
mules, and they in traversing the mountains had 
worn stepping stones and even deep holes in the solid 
rocks. These holes would fill with water, which we 
found when stepping in were half way to our knees. 

We made pretty good progress the first day, and 
when at night we arrived on top of the mountain we 
found a rough temporary house on each side of the 
road. They were mere posts in the ground, the sides 
bamboo poles endwise, thatched roofs and no floor. 
We chose the inn called the Elephant on the left side 



94 

of the road which was about eighty by forty feet in 
size. 

Hammocks were strung around the sides three or 
four feet apart. I engaged two for our accommoda- 
tion ; then before we retired we went down to a creek 
and took a 'bath with our clothes on, for they needed 
the water as bad as we did. The water was cool and 
very refreshing, and did us good. When we got back 
to the house we found several people who had pre- 
ceded us. Among them a priest and twelve sist-ers, 
who were on their way to California. Every one was 
weary and so retired quite early. As we had no 
change of clothes we were compelled to sleep in our 
wet ones. In the night I got cold and thought I 
would get in the hammock with my wife, and it broke 
down and the fall hurt me quite severely. In the 
morning we found the priest had not slept at all ; we 
asked him why, and he said he did not retire because 
he was afraid if we all slept we would have our tnroats 
cut. 

In the morning we got some coffee, cold boiled ham 
and hard bread, also some yams. The yams are 
similar to our potatoes, though nuich larger and more 
mealy and dry. For this I paid one dollar each for 



95 

the hammocks, and one dollar each for the food. We 
started on our second day's march down the moun- 
tain side, following the mule path, and if we chanced 
to step in one of the holes the mules had worn in the 
solid rock we went into the water, often up to the 
knees, so we were wet all of the time. My wife's 
feet were blistered, and it was very bad and painful for 
her the rest of the way. We were also compelled to 
wade several streams which added to our discomfort. 
Then on going- down the mountain it was very pre- 
cipitous, and we were compelled to be very careful, 
for a misstep and a fall were sure death. 

As we drew near Panama the road improved, and 
when we got to the city we were not allowed to carry 
arms through it, and so I handed my sword to the 
guard. We were scrutinized very closely, and we had 
not gone far before we met the American consul, who 
came galloping up at full speed. He stopped short 
before us, and said, "When you get into the city do 
not buy a particle of fruit, for the cholera is raging 
there, and if you eat fruit you will surely get the 
cholera. Do not stop, but go right down to the dock, 
and there is a lighter there which will take you out to 
the "Golden Gate" (the steamer which was to take us 



y6 

to San Francisco). She lay in the bay about one mile 
out. As soon as we got in the city we saw some 
lovely fruit. My wife bought quite a lot to take on 
the boat. But in a few moments the consul came to 
us and said, ''I told you not to get any fruit; now see 
what you have done." My wife spoke up and said, "I 
paid my own money for it." The consul was aston- 
ished and replied saying, "I beg your pardon, madam; 
I thought you were a boy. But you cannot take the 
fruit on the boat ; you may, however , keep the oranges 
and take the juice on rising in the morning, but the 
rest of the fruit return and get your money back; 
then go right down and get aboard the lighter and get 
on board the ship as soon as possible, where you will 
be safer from the cholera.'' 

We soon went to the lighter, and as the soldiers had 
come up, there were fifteen or twenty with us. When 
we got aboard the ship the mate came and helped 
each one up, and upon seeing my wife exclaimed, 
"Do you belong with the troops?'' She made no re- 
ply, and he repeated his question three times. Then 
she said, 'T am the drum major's wife." "Oh!'' said 
he, 'T beg your pardon; I thought you were a boy." 



97 

. After my wife's heroic feat of making such a long 
march, she was looked upon with great admiration. 

Cholera broke out on shipboard and we lost a good 
many men, among them Captain Goar. He was a 
very brave and fine man, loved and mourned by all 
who knew him. 

The cholera was of a very malignant type, and 
very quick in its action. I have seen men arise from 
the table after a good dinner and say, 'T never felt 
better in my life," and almost instantly be taken with 
cramps and die in a few moments. I have seen six 
or eight bodies lying side by side ready to be disposed 
of. They were of course thrown into the sea, and it 
seemed terrible to think perhaps you might be the 
next to become food for the fishes; and the situation 
was made more terrible for me as I might have to 
consign my wife to such a fate or suffer it myself and 
leave her alone. 

The sea burial was performed in this way: There 
was a weight tied to the feet and a sack sewed around 
the corpse and it placed upon a plank, one end of 
which was pushed over the bulwarks, and the other 
end elevated until the corpse slid into the sea. When 
rhe ship is moving the engines cease moving, the bell 



98 

tolls until the last body disappears; then the ship 
moves on again. 

There were so many sick on shipboard, the doctor 
ordered the troops put on shore on an island called 
Tomingo; our tents and the loose baggage was 
thrown overboard at the same time. After they got 
on land there were no more cases of cholera, but the 
troops were dieted on boiled rice or rice soup and 
coffee. They made no complaint, as they knew it was 
best. The officers remained on shipboard, and after 
a stop of two weeks we resumed our course. • 

While my wife and I did not stay on the island, we 
went ashore to look around, and we gathered some of 
the most beautiful sea shells I ever saw. We brought 
a great many with us when we came home. It was 
here in the Bay of Panama that I first saw a whale. 
It was a great pleasure to watch them, in schools, 
sporting and playing like a lot of children. They were 
not very large; from fifteen to twenty feet long, but 
large enough to throw water full twenty feet in the 
air when spouting. 

Before we got on shore we lost two of our band, 
Mr. Herman and George Rogers, the drummer. Mr. 
Rogers was taken sick early in the morning, and the 



99 

doctor, worn out, was not up yet, and I did not want 
to wake him, but after doing all we could for Mr. 
Rogers we saw we must call the doctor. But it was 
no use, the poor fellow passed away in one hour. 

This was on the 15th of August, 1852. 

As soon as the cholera had been stamped out and 
the ship cleaned, we started on our way again, and 
there were many amusing scenes on shipboard, of 
which I will narrate one of them. Every morning the 
ship had to be cleaned, and through this operation 
the troops were ordered kept below and a guard 
stationed at the gangways, with strict orders to let 
no one pass either way, up or down. 

Some men when on guard love to show their 
authority, and such men will be given all of the op- 
portunity they desire. Sometimes a person who knew 
nothing of the orders would try to go on deck when 
he would be stopped and a conversation something 
like this would take place: "Halt, you can't come up 
here/' '*But I must, I have left.'' "I tell you you 
can't come up here." "But I want to get a drink of 
water." '*I don't care what you want, I say." ''But 
I will come up," with some vexation. "Get down, I 
say, Michael, or I will prod you with my bayonet." 



lOO 

This settled it, for of course no one wanted two or 
three inches of cold steel shoved under his skin. But 
others would be amused at the earnestness of the 
guard in showing liis authority, and would repeat the 
attempt to get up stairs, to give the poor fellow a 
chance to show his authority, as the Irishman said 
when his wife whipped him, and he went out and 
whipped his pig. and when asked why he did it said, 
^It is to show me authority." 

The first place we stopped at was Acapulaco, a place 
in Mexico on the Pacific Ocean, about half way be- 
tween Panama and San Francisco; it is neafly under 
the equator, and of course very warm. I have been 
there twice, and each time the thermometer registered 
one hundred and fifteen to one hundred and twenty 
degrees in the shade. The natives take to the water 
like ducks and hundreds of both sexes may be seen 
in bathing together, and their bathing suits was only 
that which nature gave them. But such swimmers 
the people of the northern clime never saw. The 
people would throw bright coins into the w^ater to see 
the natives dive for them. They would get the coin 
1:>efore it had gone three feet under water. 



lOI 

At these places the ship would take on cattle, sheep, 
hogs, chickens and coal. The natives would bring 
the coal in sacks, on their heads, from scows anchored 
alongside the ship. The way cattle and live stock 
was brought on board was by placing a sling or flat 
straps around the body of the animal and hoisting 
them with tackle, by hand or steam. This is cruel; 
it sometimes drives the breath out of an animal, and 
then it is quite a task to bring them to. Often the 
horns of the cattle are knocked ofif, and the whole 
process seems a barbarous, cruel method of handling 
the poor creatures. 

We also took on a good deal of fruit at Acapulaco, 
and it was the finest fruit I ever saw. The pineapples 
were immense in size, from five to six pounds each; 
they were so sweet and juicy tliey would seem to melt 
in your month. 

The next place we stopped was at Santiago, and 
then we continued on our course to San Francisco. 
I will never forget 



I02 



AN AMUSING STORY 

I heard on board the boat. I do not know how true 
it Avas, but it was told as a truth. Of course, to while 
the tedious hours while on voyage like this, many 
funny stories are told, and as ours was a military 
party the stories told were often concerning the ex- 
perience of military or naval offtcers. 

Lieut. L. related a story of the experience of one 
of his classmates of West Point. 

It is a well known fact that the boys of West Point 
as well as college students love to perpetrate practical 
jokes. This friend of Lieut. L, became a middy on 
board of one of Uncle Sam's gunboats. I don't re- 
member the name; but one day there came a gawky 
looking fellow assigned to his ship. This fellow be- 
gan asking all manner of questions, and the middy 
determined to perpetrate a joke on him that would 
put a stop to it. So he said to the gawky, ''You are 
evidently not aware we are all Masons on board this 
boat, and if you are not a Mason it will be very un- 
pleasant for you." The young man became very 
anxious and asked the middy how it was possible for 
him to become a Mason. "Now,-' said the middy, "I 



103 

will give you the signs; no one will know Dat what 
you are a Mason- of long standing." *'You should 
ask all questions of the captain. The next time you 
wish to know anything go to the captain and ask 
him, and when he answers you give him the first sign 
of Masonry by placing the thumb of your left hand to 
your nose, with the fingers spread apart, the little 
finger upward. The captain may seem to be very 
angry, but do not mind that; he is trying you to see if 
you are a good Mason; so you may then put the 
thumb of your right hnad to the little finger of the 
left hand, with the fingers extended at the same angle. 
He will now seem very angry and order you in irons 
and put you in the black hole. Never mind that ; give 
him the third sign which is to place your fingers to 
the corners of your mouth and stretch it as wide as 
possible. After he has taken you from the black hole 
he will be your best friend.'' 

This ridiculous performance was gone through with 
to the letter, and after the poor fellow had suffered 
in the black hole a couple of days the middy went to 
the captain and told his story, and stated he was to 
blame, and what he did it for. Said the captain, 
''Never do such a thing on board my ship again." 



I04 

But he ordered the poor fellow released, and it ac- 
tually did seemingly bring- a more kindly feeling and 
condescension all around. 

We got to San Francisco the last of August, 1852, 
but did not land, but remained in the bay a day, and 
then went to Benicia, a few miles from there, where 
we went on shore, and pitched a new lot of tents the 
government had furnished us for the ones we threw 
overboard. This was a lovely place for a camp, and 
^yas elevated on a high hill in a field of wild oats. 
But unfortunatly the place, as is nearly all California, 
w^as alive with flees. We were supplied w^ith a quan- 
tity of Russian insect powder, which seemed to stupify 
the fleas and we could get some sleep. We were 
compelled to subsist on government rations, largely, 
as everything was so very high. Even potatoes were 
eighteen cents a pound, onions seventeen cents, butter 
one dollar a pound, and eggs one dollar per dozen, 
and everything else in proportion. Both male and 
female help w^as very high; a man could get five 
dollars per day doing any kind of work. The price 
of laundry work w^as three dollars per dozen. I once 
saw a washwoman at Benicia who had made sixty 
thousand dollars wasiiin"-. 



Our six companies stayed here but a few weeks, 
and then took ship for Fort Vancouver, Washington 
Territory. We arrived there in September, and two 
companies with the band relieved the First Artillery. 
The quarters were built of logs, but were very com- 
fortable. J\Iy quarters were in the rear of the band 
room, and was covered with heavy canvas and was 
tixed up very nicely. 

A short time after we came here I became 

A STOCK RAISER. 

For this I must thank the late General Grant. As I 
have said, he was our quartermaster, and was raising 
stock himself. He came to me one day and said, 'T 
have a fine sow about to give birth to a litter of pigs; 
you have a great deal of slops from the band mess 
room, and instead of throwing it away to rot and 
create disease, feed it to the sow and you may have 
the pigs." I thanked him and took the sow under 
my care, and soon had as fine a lot of little pigs as 
a stock raiser could wish for. All did well, and in a 
short time I sold those pigs to a farmer, near, for 
the enormous sum of forty dollars apiece. This was 



io6 

the first money I saved from fifteen years of govern- 
ment service. Tiianks to my old friend, Captain 
Grant. 

The farmer who bought the pigs had been a soldier; 
his name was Kane; his time of service having ex- 
pired, he was sharp enough to see what could be 
done there at farming and stock raising and so en- 
gaged in it. 

Captain Grant was a frequent visitor at my quarters. 
Nearly every day he went his rounds of inspection, 
and would ride up and knock at the door with his 
riding whip and pass the time of day, and then dash 
away at full speed. 

AN OCCASIONAL EPISODE 

of army life in those days, was not unlike some of 
those of the present time, though not to be com- 
mended, but rather tO' show how foolish man can be, 
I will relate a little incident of our army life at this 
post. 

When the troops we relieved were about to depart, 
the officers gave a reception, and as is usual on such 
occasions tobacco and wine circulated pretty freely. 



On this occasion everybody got full, I with the rest. 
The whole band included. As would naturally be 
the case, conversation drifted to the merits of the 
armies of the world. We had in the band an Eng- 
lishman, a very good-natured fellow by the name of 
Young, and as would be perfectly natural, Mr. Young 
defended the merits of the English Army. But I 
could not stand it to hear a man in the pay of Uncle 
Sam talk in favor of the army of another country, and 
I lost my head, that is, what was not already lost in 
a muddled state on account of the liquor. I insisted 
he should take it back or go and fight it out. But he 
declined to do either, as I was an officer and could 
have him arrested for striking an officer, but I told 
him I would lay rank aside. He finally consented, 
and after showing me he could handle me helped me 
home, and of course we wxre just as good friends 
after the liquor was gone as before. But it goes to 
show that by force of circumstances it comes as easy, 
once in a| while, for a soldier to raise h — 1 as it is to 
raise pigs. 

While we were here we built a theater. As before 
-stated, we had excellent dramatic talent, and while 
fhere we formed a Thespian society, of which I and my 



io8 

wife were members. Our troop did not confine 
themselves to dramas and farces alone, but played a 
number of Shakesperian pieces, such: as Hamlet, 
Richard the Third, Macbeth, Othello and others ; also 
Douglass, The War Lock of the Glen, Lady of Lyons, 
Golden Farmer, Robert McCair and many others. 

HOW I BECAME A CIRCUS MAN. 

While here I got a furlough for myself and four of 
the band to go out with a circus, through a part of 
Oregon. The owner's name was Cadwell. I w^as to 
receive ten dollars per day and each of the men five 
dollars per day and expenses. It was a pretty good 
outfit, but destined to misfortune. 

There is a man in Detroit, a well known musician 
here, whose name is Frees. Mr. Frees was a member 
of the band, and requested to be one of the number. 
He said he did not care so much for the money as to 
see the country. Well, w^e will hear from Mr. Frees 
about the country as we go further on. 

We first went to Portland, Oregon. It was at this 
time a very small place of not more than five hundred 
inhabitants. Before reaching Portland we had to 



I09 

cross the Columbia River. This river is over a mile 
in width, and the water is deep enough for large 
steamers, and the river was alive with salmon. 

After crossing the river we traveled a strip of land 
three miles wade, and then reached the Willamette 
River, not as large a stream as the Columbia River. 
On the opposite side of this river stands Portland. At 
this point the two streams form an isthmus, but in- 
creases in width below. 

We made our first stand in Portland, and went from 
there to Oregon City. From Oregon City the band 
and clown took a small steamer to a little town we 
nicknamed Graball, because of the high prices 
charged for everything. I do not remember its real 
name. The boat we were on was called the Shole- 
water. This was its first trip. We had gone but a 
few miles when the boiler head blew off and the hot 
steam and mud flew in every direction. The band 
was playing on deck at the time. But the steam blew 
so much harder than we did, the music stopped very 
quick. Mr. Frees threw down his instrument, and 
crying, "My poor wife, what will she do?" and was 
about to spring overboard when I caught him ; other- 
wise he would have found a watery grave. 



no 

No one was hurt by the explosion, but quite a num- 
ber were thrown into the water. One of the people 
blown into the water was a Hebrew, who had his wife 
and children with him, and his first words after being 
fished out of the water, was not to inquire for his wife 
and children, but was, "Oh ! mine Got, mine Got, my 
hundred and fifty tolar gold watch ish ruined, it ish 
spoilt/' 

Well, we had a time before we got to town. We 
were billed to play that night, and had ten miles to 
walk over the worst road you ever saw. We followed 
a road which took us away from the river. But the 
pesky road run out, and I had to guide my party by 
instinct, for I had no other means. But again we 
came to the river, and I saw a boat on the other side, 
and signaled to the boatman, who took us over. We 
finally arrived, but too late, and did not play that 
night. But the next day and night we played to good 
houses. But a very funny episode took place here. 
Of course the country was new and everything scarce, 
and the hotels were of a very crude order. 

The professional name of our clown was Mariiman. 
Whether it was his real name or not I do not know. 
But in the morning the landlord startled everybody 



Ill 



by calling loudly, "Mr. Mariman, Mr. Mariman, get 
up, please; I want your sheet for a tablecloth." We 
had to walk most of the time when going from place 
to place, because the roads were so bad. There is so 
much rain in this country that the people of California 
declared that Oregon people were web footed. At 
any rate, the country was flooded, and the sun dried 
a crust very quickly, and you would step on appa- 
rently dry ground, only to break through into deep 
mud and water. This kept Mr. Frees continually 
damning the country, and I would retort by saying, 
"Mr. Frees, I thought you wished to see the country." 
This would bring a look from him of horror, dis- 
gust and anger. These terrible roads caused many 
delays, and also prevented the people from coming 
long distances to see the show, and for this reason the 
circus was compelled to break up. Had the manager 
waited until after the wet season was over it would 
have been a great success. We stopped upon the 
open prairie, on high ground, not a building in sight, 
and yet the people came from all directions and filled 
our tent to its greatest capacity. We stopped at every 
town until we reached Marysville, when we started on 



112 

our return trip to Fort Vancouver, and right glad we 
were to get there. 

I LEAVE THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 

The following December, 1853, I received my dis- 
charge, dated from January i6th, 1854, the date of ex- 
piration of fifteen years continuous service in the 
Imited States Army. This was the hardest trial to 
me I had ever been called upon to endure. The army 
had been my home so long, it was like tearing out my 
very heart strings to leavd it. But for my wife's sake 
I must leave. She had left her mother at the age of 
sixteen, and she was anxious to get back to see her, 
and of course it was a pleasure to grant her that priv- 
ilege. But I must go somewhere to make some 
money to get home with and have enough left to do 
business with. 

Our leave taking with our friends in the army was 
an afifecting scene. Both officers and men vied with 
each other in their attempts to do us honor and make 
the occasion as pleasant as possible. 

The adjutant is the secretary of a regiment, and all 
orders or sentiment of the colonel and regiment are 



113 

expressed throug'h him, arid here are the sentiments, 
still legible, though faint, on the letter I received from 
the adjutant: 

"Headquarters Fourth United States Infantry, Ad- 
jutant's Office, Fort Vancouver, W. T., Dec. 27th, 
1853. — Sergeant, as you are about to receive your dis- 
charge from the United States service, I take pleasure 
in testifying to the very commendable and praisewor- 
thy manner in which you have conducted! yourself 
during the time you have been connected with the 
Fourth Infantry. During the seven years I have 
known you, I have found you always attentive to your 
duties, and as a soldier you enjoy the confidence of 
every officer with whom you have served, and your 
meritorious conduct in the battles of Mexico will not 
seen be forgotten by them. Should you commence 
business in civil life I offer you my best wishes for 
3^our success, and should you feel inclined to eater 
again in the military service I can assure you that the 
officers of the regiment will take pleasure in having 
you appointed to the post in non-commissioned staff 
which you now occupy, Ver}^ respectfully, Thos. R. 
McConnell, Adjutant." 



114 

On the 28th of December my wife and I took a 
small boat and went down the Columbia River to the 
mouth of the Willamette Riiver, and thence to Port- 
land, where we took the steamer Fremont for San 
FranciscO'. After a rough passage we were landed at 
the dock of the Golden City. We registered gt the 
Crescent City Hotel. It seemed very strange to pay 
for all we got, after being with Uncle Sam so long 
and having everything furnished for us. I had to pay 
thirty-two dollars a week for board. It was pretty 
high, but some places board was much higher. The 
first job I got was on the 226. of February. I played 
for the Shields Guard, a cavalry company. I had a 
horse and uniform furnished me, and twenty-five dol- 
lars for one hour. After that I joined the American 
Brass Band. I did very well at this for some time, but I 
left the hotel and rented rooms. After this I opened 
a cigar store on Montgomery street. I paid $75 
a month for a small space in a restaurant. The 
place I occupied was eight feet by six. I did well 
here until I got something better. At this time lot- 
tery and gambling was allowed. A company by the 
name of Smith, Gaylord & Co. had gotten up a lot- 
tery for $100,000; $10,000 in gold as the chief prize. 



Mr. Gaylord came to see me and' he wanted me to sell 
tickets for him. He told me I could make more in 
one day selling tickets than I could make in a week 
selling cigars. He said I could rent a room, aad he 
would allow me a commission of twenty-five per cent. 
He gave me a gold watch as a sample. There were 
two hundred of them, and he would allow me a com- 
mission of twenty-five per cent, so I accepted his 
offer and sold out my stock of tobacco and got a 
store on Kearney street and Commercial street 
for five dollars a day. I did the best business at 
night. I was green at the business for a few days. I 
improved as I went along. I got a boy to ring a bell 
for three hours each night, and gave him five dollars 
for his services. He would stand in front of the office 
and ring the bell to draw the crowd. I never k new- 
how to make money until I went into business. I 
thought it was a bad day if I did not make fifty dol- 
lars. Sometimes I would sell four or five hundred 
tickets ai day. The tickets were one dollar apiece. I 
have often disposed of fifty to one man. I would 
close up at eleven o'clock at night, and put the money 
in my handkerchief and take it home, and we would 
count it up, and put the gold in separate piles and 



IID 

silver dollars, halves and quarters. I would lake to 
the gambliing houses in the morning and get one per 
cent premium for it. You must know there was no 
paper money in those days, for this was the golden 
period of California. The first prize, ten thousand 
dollars, was drawn by a small boy who took two 
tickets, one for his sister in New York, and he kept 
one for himself. The one he had won first prize. He 
was a poor boy who had worked' his passage to Cali- 
fornia. He was employed in a store as chore boy. 
The money was deposited in Palmer, Cook & Co.'s 
bank, and it was all in fifty dollar slugs, as we called 
them. He was given a certificate of deposit by the 
committee, and they went down with the boy and 
took it out of the bank. The drawing took place July 
4th, 1854. This came on Monday, and the Saturday 
before I sold eight hundred tickets. All stores and 
public places were closed on Sunday. On Saturday 
preceding the drawing a man came to me and gave 
me his card and asked me to call on him at his store, 
151 Commerce street. I told him I would. I called 
on him Monday morning. He had a large jewelry 
store, and he had a lottery also. He asked me if I 
would come to his store and sell tickets for him. I 




TAKEN AT SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., 1854 (FROM AN 
AMBROTYPE). 



117 

told him I would, and he told me he would give me 
fifteen per cent and I could have a place at his coun- 
ter. I said that would do, so I went at it. There 
were three others beside myself selling tickets. But I 
sold more than all the rest together. My employer's 
name was Robert Mayers. He was an Englishman, 
and as nice a man as I have ever met. He wanted 
me to come and live in one of his houses, of which he 
had. six on Stockton and Lombard streets. 

But soon after this the State! put a stop to the lot- 
tery business and left me without an occupation, and 
I joined a band and we got an engagement to play on 
a steamboat called Defender, Captain Brown, of New 
York. She was running in opposition to the old 
Combine. She ran from San Francisco to Sacra- 
mento. We would leave San Francisco in the after- 
noon at five o'clock and get to Sacramento in the 
morning. The old line charged ten dollars each way. 
Our boat charged firty cents. This caused much bit- 
terness, and they would fire at us every time we would 
come together, but no one was hurt. After a while 
the boat went on the drydock, and my occupation was 
gone so far as the boat was concerned. 



ii8 

After this my wife and I took the road with the 
Ferry Minstrels, a good company. We gave enter- 
tainments in all of the principal towns in the state. 
We crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains on horse- 
back; the distance from Chasta to Weaverville is 
forty miles; we made it in one day, and played that 
night. It must have been hard for the girls who had 
to dance, for it made me so lame I did not get over 
it for some time. A young lady by the name of Carrie 
Finn, who was a member of the troop, was riding in 
company with my wife, and as they were going down 
the mountain, it was pretty steep, and just at the foot 
of the mountain was a small stream of water, and they 
were going very fast; as Miss Finn's horse came to 
the water it stopped so sudden it sent her on the 
other side. She left her seat as nice as you please, and 
sat down on the opposite bank and without injury. 

HOW I BECAME A GOLD MINER. 

We arrived at Weaverville about five o'clock in the 
afternoon, and Sunday morning I took a stroll around 
to see some of the mines. It being Sunday all the 
mines were closed. I came to a place where they 



119 

had been digging for gold. I could get no spade, as 
they were all packed away, so I went to dig with my 
hand. I did not work but a moment till I felt some- 
thing hard; this was in the sand. When I came to 
examine what it was I found I had dug a piece of 
pure gold; the piece was quite small, but now I could 
say I had dug gold. 

I went through thirty or forty mining towns w^hile 
I was traveling with the troop; gold was plenty at 
this time. When coin was not obtainable the land- 
lords would take a pinch of gold dust, with the thumb 
and first finger, for a drink. A person Avith a large 
hand could take dust enough to make a ten dollar 
piece. Most everybody had nuggets or dust. People 
were known to have gone in the mountains and in 
crevices of the rocks cut large nuggets out, some of 
which would be worth hundreds and some thousands 
of dollars. 

California is a lovely country, but subject to earth- 
quakes, and I think in time San Francisco will go 
down. It has all the appearance of it. The Bay of 
San Francisco was formed by some volcanic erup- 
tion. To just look at the high hills and immense 



I20 

quantity of rocks thrown up hundreds of feet, all go 
to show what nature has done to bring it about. 

After my season expired with this troop we re- 
turned to our old home on Stockton street, where we 
stayed until we got ready to go east. 

It was customary when the mail steamer comes 
through the Golden Gate to fire a cannon as a signal 
that the mail is coming. Immediately after this there 
is a rush for the postoffice. I have been in line in 
single file when the line would extend all of two 
blocks. We would only get news once in two weeks, 
and I tell you it would make a man feel good to get 
a letter from the east. 

One morning about three o'clock we were wakened 
by a terrible noise, as loud as a hundred cannon at 
once; just before that we experienced a great shake 
up. It nearly shook us out of bed. All of the bells 
rang, the clocks stopped, and there was a general 
shaking up. My wife did not know what it was, but 
I did, but did not tell her so. The next morning 
she read an account of a great earthquake that did 
much damage. At one of the hotels, the Rezet House, 
men were seen coming out of rooms not their own 
and women the same, so excited was evervbodv. The 



121 

Rezet House at that time was seven stories high, and 
of course got the heaviest shaking up. It frightened 
my v^ife very much ; she had seen death on every hand, 
where they were dying with cholera, and it did not 
frighten her. But the earthquake was too much for 
her. She was now more anxious to see her mother 
than ever. 



TERRIBLE TIMES IN CALIFORNIA. 

At this time no person was safe on the street; there 
were so many murders committed every day, and if 
the man who committed it had money he would get 
ofif. One night General Richardson, United States 
Marshal, and his wife were at the Metropolitan Theater, 
and a man by the name of Charles Corry was sitting 
immediately in front of the marshal; he kept looking 
over at a woman in the rear of the general, a woman 
of bad repute, and an associate of Corry's; she 
kept up the flirtation with Corry all the time, but Gen. 
Richardson did not look back, and he supposed Corry 
was laughing at his wife. After the first act they both 
went in the hall; they had some words, and the gen- 



122 

eral pulled Corry's nose, but Gen. Richardson's 
friends separated them. 

The next night they met on some street and Corry 
took the General by his arm as if to apologize, and 
when he got him where he wanted him he stabbed 
him to the heart. Richardson died in a few moments. 
But not until he had told who killed him. Corry was 
arrested and imprisoned, but the woman said she had 
sixty thousand dollars to spend in his defence and this 
in such a place would free him. The next day another 
murder took place in the day time. James King, of 
William, the editor of an evening paper called the 
"Evening Bulletin;" he had said something in^ his 
paper the evening before that reflected on the char- 
acter of a man by the name of James P. Casey, who 
was also an editor of a small paper, and as James 
King, of Williams, was crossing the street, Casey met 
liim and shot him dead. The editor James King, of 
Williams, was well liked by all good citizens, as he 
was doing all he could for reform. There were so 
many murders and crimes took place no one was safe, 
especially if it was known a person had money. One 
day I thought I would put my money in the bank. I 
had one thousand dollars, and I deposited it in Palmer 



& Co.'s bank. But a few days after they closed their 
doors. But three weeks after they opened again and 
I got my money out again. After that I was at a loss 
to know what to do with it. We had a bag of potatoes 
in the kitchen, and I thought this would be a very 
good place to hide my gold. In a few days my wife 
was cleaning house and emptied the contents of the 
bag out on the commons, near the house, and thought 
no more about it until night ; then it came to her mind 
that she had thrown the money out with the contents 
of the sack of potatoes. The money consisted of fifty- 
dollar gold pieces ; they were put in a buckskin bag 
just large enough to put one on each other, as close 
as they could be stowed away. As soon as she discov- 
ered her loss she told Mrs. Caleb, a lady who we were 
staying with, what she had done. Mrs. Caleb told her 
to go and look for it. She said ''no, it is gone, I saw 
some rag-pickers with their sticks taking the rags out, 
and they have taken it away." ''Well," said she, "if 
you don't go and look for it, I will." She did go and 
found it. Wasn't my wife glad. "Now," said she to 
my wife, "don't tell your husband about it; if you do 
he will be telling you about it all the time." She 
never mentioned it until we came to Detroit the sec- 



124 

ond time in 1857. We were talking together one 
night when she told me the story. 

At the time of this great epidemic of crime in Cali- 
fornia, the best citizens formed a vigilant committee 
to subdue the tough element, who were a lot of cut- 
throats and robbers. 

In a few days they had eight thousand men enrolled, 
a great many of whom had been in the army. Besides 
the military companies the firemen in the city joined 
the vigilants. They were well armed and meant busi- 
ness. 

They formed on Montgomery street and went to 
tlie jail; they surrounded the jail, having two batteries 
of artillery with pieces all loaded with ball; they then 
demanded the two prisoners, James P. Casey and 
Charles Corry, the two murderers of James King, of 
William, and the United vStates Marshall, Gen. Rich- 
ardson; the officials of the jail delivered them to the 
committee without any resistance; they were taken 
away in a close carriage. 

They were tried at once and sentenced to be hung. 
The signal was to hang them when the funeral 
procession passed Commercial and Kerney streets. 
I was playing in the procession that day, and when 



125 

we got to Commercial street we looked down and 
we could see them suspended from the windows of 
the fort. After this I saw Hetrington and Brace hungf 
by the same body of men. There were fifty men, 
composed of some of the most respectable citizens of 
the city, who were chosen as executive committee. If 
they wanted any person they would give the order 
for their arrest, and it would be done, and when the 
bell rang, that was the signal for them to assemble. 
This made the evildoers tremble whenever that bell 
rang. But only murderers were hung; other criminals 
were sent out of the city. They sent some to New 
York and others out of the country; they took the 
sheriff of the county, and sent him together with sev- 
eral more of the same sort out of the city. 

The sheriff's name was Scanlen. Jim Turner and 
Charlie Duan, chief of the fire department, and Yan- 
kee Sullivan, the pugilist. They put Sullivan in Fort 
Vigilance, and he cut one of his veins in his arm and 
bled to death. After this everything was quiet. If 
there were any other bad characters, they kept quiet. 



126 



WE LEAVE CALIFORNIA. 

It was now getting late in the fall and my wife was 
getting very anxious to see home. We took the next 
steamer and started for Panama. We had Christmas 
on the Pacific Ocean and New Year's on the Atlantic 
Ocean. 

When we got to Panama, we did not walk this time ; 
they had finished the railroad to Aspinwall, on the 
Atlantic side. At Aspinwall we found the steamer 
George Law ready to sail the next day. So we went 
on board of her and started for New York. It was 
very rough on the Gulf of Tewantepic, but we arrived 
in New York at night. The very next trip the George 
Law made she went down in a gale. All of her pas- 
sengers and crew, consisting of seven hundred and 
fifty souls, went down on her, not one of whom were 
saved. 

We stayed in New York a few days, and went to 
Syracuse, where I had a relation. We stopped with 
one of my brothers' who kept the Salt Springs Hotel, 
for two weeks after. Then we came to Detroit for 
the second time^ where I have been ever since. 



127 



I BECAME A MEMBER OF THE DETROIT 
LIGHT GUARDS. 

Shortly after coming to Detroit I turned out with 
the Detroit Light Guard on the Fourth of July as 
drum major, in 1857. A few days after this I joined 
that organization, and was with them as musician and" 
armorer for thirty-three years, and am now a veteran 
member of that corps. Some of the most pleasant 
times I ever had were with the Detroit Light Guards. 
At that time the company got nothing from the State. 
They had to pay for all they got; uniforms and all 
would have to be paid for by the company. I found 
the men to be all gentlemen of wealth and prominence, 
who had joined the company just for the pleasure 
they would derive by being a soldier, and they all 
proved worthy the name. I will name a few of the 
most prominent men who were in the company at that 
time: Gen. A. S. Williams, Capt. T. W. Palmer, Al- 
fred Russell, C. A. T, Trowbridge, E. D. Trowbridge, 
Oliver Goldsmith, Merick Penny, G. W. Thayer, Je- 
rome Croul, James Pittman, Mart Smith, W. D. Wil- 
kins and W. C. Mabury. I only mention some of 
the most wealthy and influential men just to show 



128 

what class of men the Detroit Light Guards were 
composed of. Most all of the men had shields with 
their number, in gold or silver, put on the stock of 
their muskets. They| were owned by the company, 
and not the State. I knew every number so well that 
I could pick a man's gun out of the rack in the dark. 
The stocks were varnished, the locks and screws 
blued, with burnished barrels. I did it all myself. 
After the first battle of Bull Run they were turned over 
to the Ordnance Department at Washington, with a 
lot of tents the company had of their own. 

The first time I went with the Detroit Light Guard 
was in November, 1857, when they went to Milwau- 
kee to visit the Light Guard of that city. We had a 
good time and they gave us a fine reception and a 
ball. They took the Light Guard Band with them, 
and I was the drum major. We went by boat from 
Grand Haven, and the company met us at the dock 
and took us up to the city. The next day it snowed 
all day, but we marched through slush and mud all 
over the city. Gen. A. S. Williams was Captain of 
the company then, and James Pittman was First Lieu- 
tenant. We had a good band. Henry Kern was 
the leader, and we were highly complimented for our 
fine music. We left there on the 14th of November 
on our return trip. It was blowing a perfect hurri- 



129 

cane when we left Milwaukee, and the boat we went 
aboard of was an old tub of a thing — a side-wheeler. 
It put one in mind of some of the boats on the Ohio 
River. It was very rough when we got out. I didn't 
think we would ever see Detroit again. John Merrill 
got very frightened, and he went up to the captain at 
the pilot house, scudding under bare poles, with his 
big 'bear skin shako on his head, and prayed the cap- 
tain to return. But he could not prevail on him to 
return. The captain told him that his boat never 
went back. It was amusing to see Johnny in such a 
rig on such a cold night. When we got to Grand 
Haven, the next morning, the ice was so thick that 
we had a hard time to get to the dock. We got on 
the cars about 8 o'clock, and stopped at Grand Rap- 
ids and stayed over night and came home the next 
morning. When we got to the depot, Gen. Williams 
turned the command of the company over to Lieut. 
Pittman and took a hack to his home. After we went 
to the armory — it was Sunday, and the anniversary of 
the organization — we were marched to our quarters. 
Lieut. Pittman said a few words to the men, and then 
said: "I propose three silent cheers for wives and 
sweethearts,'^ and they were given in a low breath. I 
went with the company wherever they went, and at- 
tended all the encampments with them. I remember 



I30 

when we went to Whitmore Lake, a few miles from 
Ann Arbor. We boarded at a hotel. One day at 
dinner the waiters cme around to the men and told 
them what kind of a desert they had. They said ap- 
ple pie, mince pie, huckleberry pie, and the like. Mr. 
Kern, one of the band, said he would take "liookle- 
boy" pie. You should have heard the roar that went 
up from the boys — "Hookleboy," "Hookleboy pie" — 
they had it all over the camp. The last word at night 
and the first word spoken in the morning was "hookle- 
boy, hookleboy." Mr. Kern said to me, "Mr. Elder- 
kin, if they don't stop saying 'hookleboy' to me, I will 
take my instrument and go home." Now, almost 
every person knew Mr. Kern. He was a large man, 
weighing three hundred and seventy-five pounds, a 
good, honest, outspoken man, and a fine musician. 
He is the one President Lincoln said 'Svas 
the biggest blower in the service." I told 
the men how sensitive he was, and told them to 
be a little careful and not plague him so much. For 
a time it was stopped, and then broke out again as bad 
as ever. Then something new came up to attract 
their attention. 



131 

Corporal Brenan' got on a bender, and when we 
were all in camp there he took off all of his clothes 
but his shirt, and got on a horse and rode it all over 
the town, and up to the hotel. The guard was sent for 
and he was put in the guard house. He declared he 
was "Mazeppa." 

When I first joined the company the armory stood 
where Edson & Moore's store now stands, and where 
the old Post and Tribune building stood. Dr. Scho- 
field had his ofifice in the building. 

After I became leader of the Detroit Light Guard 
Band we played once a week at West Grand Circus 
Park, and the citizens living convenient to the park 
clubbed in and paid us for our services. Gov. Bag- 
ley would send out the cigars and lemonade to us 
whenever we played. Large crowds would be there 
at every concert. Little Fred Eberts, a little tot about 
eight years old, son of Comrade F. H. Eberts of this 
city, would always be there. He was quite a musi- 
cian himself. He would go on the stand and I would 
let him take the drum and play a selection with us. 
He would want me to play "Sally Waters." It seemed 
to be his favorite, for he would ask for it. But I did 
not have that piece, so he would say, "Well, play 



132 

'Yankee Doodle.' " That was the next to "Sally Wa- 
ters" for him. He would come down to the armory 
almost every day and try to find a cap or coat that 
would fit him. There was at that time a suit of 
clothes made for Larnard Williams, son of the late 
Gen. Williams. Larney was a marker. He had out- 
grown the uniform, and of course it was no use to 
anyone. Fred was there one day and I showed it to 
him and told him he could have it. He was tickled 
-almost to death. He took his uniform home, and Mrs. 
Eberts put it away. Fred, his father, had got himself 
a new suit, also blue, which he paid fifty dollars for. 
tVErs. Eberts, the boy's mother, was out one day, and 
the youngster thought he would make some altera- 
tion in his suit. So he went to the wardrobe, and, as 
he supposed, got his suit out. He took a pair of 
shears and cut off the legs of the pants and cut off the 
sleeves of the coat. His mother came home before 
he had finished his job. As quick as she saw what he 
had done, she threw up her hands and cried out: 
"Why, Freddie Eberts, what have you done? You 
have ruined your father's new suit!" He had mis- 
taken his father's new suit for his own. 



^33 



I ENLIST FOR MY THIRD WAR. 

I had passed through the Florida, or Seminole war, 
and the Mexican war without receiving serious in- 
juries, though I still carry a piece of lead in the calf 
of my leg received at Matamoras, Mexico. But this 
did not dampen my military ardor. So when the 
great Rebellion of 1861 took place, I determined to 
go if the Detroit Light Guard went. That company 
became the first company, or Company A, of the 
First Michigan Infantry. I enlisted for three months' 
service. We were stationed at Fort Wayne until the 
13th day of May, 1861. The regiment started for 
Washington, and I with them as drum major of that 
regiment. We got on board the old propeller Mis- 
souri, and went to Cleveland. From there we took 
cars by way of Pittsburg to Washington, where we 
arrived in due time. 

While in Washington we were complimented as 
having the best band in the city, considering the num- 
ber of pieces. On Saturday evening the staff and 
company officers, with a number of citizens of Mich- 
igan who were temporarily sojourning there, called 



134 

upon the President, with the band of the regiment, 
and honored him with a serenade. The President ap- 
peared in response and was loudly cheered. He made 
a few complimentary remarks, declining to make a 
speech, and invited the company into the famous East 
Room, where Colonel Wilcox was foramlly presented 
by Adjutant-General Thomas, and afterwards each of 
the officers and citizens by the Colonel. The Presi- 
dent then expressed a desire that the band should be 
presented. Then I was first introduced, and after- 
wards Mr. Henry Kern, the leader, and the privates. 
The President had a word of welcome for each, and 
a supply of compliments for me, whose previous ser- 
vices had been mentioned to him, and for Mr. Kern, 
whom he facetiously styled the "biggest blower" in 
the service, as Mr. Kern weighed 375 pounds. Both 
the President and General Thomas spoke in the high- 
est terms of our music, and notified me that during our 
stay in Washington we would be expected to alternate 
with Sousa's Marine Band and with the Rhode Island 
band in furnishing- music for the afternoon concerts 
which were given three times a week in the grounds 
back of the presidential mansion. This compliment 
had great meaning, when it is stated that such a re- 



135 

quest had not been made of Dodsworth's band, which 
accompanied the Twelfth New York Regiment, nof 
of any of the Seventh Regiment band, nor of any of 
the other equally famous bands that numbered two 
or three times the pieces of our favorite Light Guard 
band. 

On turning from the band, the President excused 
his ignorance of military etiquette, and requested 
Gen. Thomas to address his visitors. The General 
very briefly alluded to the impression the regiment 
had created in military circles, repeating some of the 
compliments that had previously been paid them, and 
promised them every consideration and service it 
would be in his power to grant them. The President 
advanced and shook hands with Col. Wilcox, asking 
at the same time if he was comfortably quartered. 
The Colonel repHed that if he was to change at all he 
should merely desire to camp on the opposite side of 
the river. The President laughed, and said that the 
permission would be given in a few days. He then 
retired and the company withdrew. The band played 
the National airs and ''Marseilles'' on the outside, 
after which cheers were given for the President and 
the serenade was concluded. Gen. Thomas then es- 



136 

corted the party to the residence of the Secretary of 
War. Here, too, the company was invited in and 
were severally presented and received a surfeit of 
compliments. They next called on Gen. Scott. The 
old veteran sent an aidecamp to express his regrets 
that he was so indisposed as to be unable to receive 
the entire party, and to invite in Col. Wilcox. Col. 
Wilcox, accompanied by Gen. Thomas, went in, and 
had quite a lengthy interview. The General expressed 
his greatest satisfaction at the reports which had 
reached him of the discipline, military accomplish- 
ments and gentlemanly bearing of his command, which 
he hoped soon to have the pleasure of witnessing in 
person. He promised that at an early day they 
should have all the active service they might desire. 
The evening was so far advanced on leaving Gen. 
Scott's that it was not deemed proper to make any 
more calls, and the party returned to their quarters in 
high spirits, after passing a most agreeable evening. 
I should have mentioned that while at the White 
House the President expressed a desire to visit the 
regimental headquarters and witness a dress parade of 
the regiment. Of course the Colonel was only too 
happy of the opportunity of receiving such a distin- 



137 

guislied mark of consideration. 'The visit will be 
paid at an early day this week/' said the President. 
The usual course heretofore had been for regiments 
to call upon the President for review, and frequently 
it required great influence to induce him to suspend 
his business to perform that service. In this instance 
he departs from all established customs and himself 
seeks the opportunity of conferring this honor. No 
more signal mark of the position the regiment occu- 
pied could be given. One night, a few days after this, 
Col. Wilcox sent for me, and said he would like me to 
get a bugle and go with him. We were about to 
cross the Potomac and go to Alexandria, Virginia. 
He told me to see the Quartermaster, and he would 
give me a horse. I was to leave the band in Wash- 
ington and go with him. I did not like this very 
much, as I was Drum Major. I thought he ought to 
take a sergeant for his orderly. I Avas looking out 
for a good time. I knew if I went with him I would 
have lots to do, and that is what I didn't like; but I 
did not tell him so. I loved the Colonel very much, 
and he Hked me and wanted to put me forward. But 
I was not ambitious and was contented in the position 
that I held. The night the army left Washington for 



138 

Alexandria, we sat up all night, without a wink of 
sleep, and commenced to cross the long bridge in the 
morning. We got there just at break of day. We 
went right to the depot. As we were passing King 
street, I looked down the street and saw a steamboat 
about to land. She had soldiers on board, and Col. 
Ellsworth, with the Chicago Zouaves, w^ere on board. 
As soon as they got on shore they marched up King 
street to the Marshall House. There was a rebel flag 
on the top of the house, and Col. Ellsworth went to 
the top of the house to take the flag down. As he 
was coming down with it, Jackson, the proprietor of 
the house, fired on him with a shotgun and killed 
him. The next instant one of Col. Ellsworth's men 
shot Jackson. That was the first blood shed for the 
cause of the Union. If we had been five minutes 
sooner we would have got the train of cars, going to 
Richmond, as they had just run out. We took the 
track up for some distance. Here we took Capt. Ball 
and his company. After this w^e went on the top of 
Shuter Hill, a very high place, and pitched our tents. 
After we had been here a few days the rebel pickets 
commenced to annoy us a great deal, and when they 
would fire on our pickets I would have to saddle my 



139 

horse and go with the Colonel out to the picket line 
and see what it was about, and after all was quiet, go 
back to the camp and wait for a second alarm. Some- 
times it would occur two or three times during, the 
night. The rebels would sneak up to our pickets and 
kill some of them, and then would leave and come 
back later. This was kept up all the time we were 
there. After a short time I told Col. Wilcox I would 
like him to relieve me, as I did not like to take care 
of a horse and be disturbed so much in the night. 
The Colonel, at my request, relieved me, and had a 
sergeant take my place. 

We had a good time in camp. Guard mount would 
take place down town near the postofifice, and most all 
the city would be there to see the fun and hear the 
music. I forgot to mention that one day when we 
were in Washington it was our day to give a concert 
jn the park in the rear of President Lincoln's house. 
We had played several selections, when I received a 
card, written in pencil in a very fine hand, requesting 
us to play a selection from "111 Trovatore.'' I gave 
the card to Mr. Kern, the leader, and they played it 
very fine. It was a very long selection. It com- 
menced with the Anvil Chorus and ended with 



I40 

''Missearare, I long to rest me." I never heard it 
played better in my life. After we finished the piece 
a man came out of the President's house, with a straw 
hat and brown linen coat and pants, and said the piece 
was well executed — remarkably well — and handed me 
a twenty-dollar gold piece, and told me when we went 
down to stop at the Kirkwood and treat the band. 
He said, if I liked, I could get in his carriage and go 
with him. I execused myself and told him I would 
go with the band. He said he had loaned the United 
States one million dollars, and he would let Uncle 
Sam have another million if they stood in need of it. 
He was a fine-looking man, large and splendid form. 
By looking at him closely I could see he was of In- 
dian extraction. I think he was a Cherokee. He 
said he was an Indian. Said he, *'My wife is waiting 
for the President, and he has gone out." On looking 
up, he said, 'There she comes now," and left me. I 
never thought to ask him name. 

Now I will go back to Alexandria, where we left off 
at Shuter's Hill. We had a great deal of wildcat 
money with us, and some plank road paper. It looked 
nice, and I had quite a lot of it; but I got rid of it all. 
They were glad to get it. 



HI 

Comrade Fred Eberts, of the Light Guard, was a 
good soldier and full of his jokes. I don't know how 
it was, but he had chickens most all the time. I have 
often seen him on picket duty, and when he came back 
to camp he would have five or six chickens hung over 
his musket. I did not know him as well as I do now. If 
I had, I might have had some of his goodies. I was 
down town one day in a saloon — I think there were 
eight of us in the saloon — when Comrade Fred Eberts 
came in with a young and pretty lad. As he came in 
he looked around and saw me. He said, "How are 
you, Jim? Will you have a glass of soda water?" I 
said I didn't mind; so he treated all of us, and put his 
hand in his pocket and fished out a handful of plank 
road money. He got good money back for change. 
We thought nothing of that, as most all Michigan 
rnen had that kind of money. I did not go with the 
regiment when they went to Bull Run. I was to have 
gone with Col. Wilcox, but he forgot to send his or- 
derly to me with his horse. He told me he would, 
but it slipped his mind, so I stayed with. the band at 
Cloud's mill. I have always been glad I did not go, 
for if I had I Avould have had to make good time back 
to Washington. 



142 

After the regiment came back to Washington we 
went into camp at ArHngton Heights and were mus- 
tered out of service. But the regiment came back to 
Detroit without their arms, as they had been turned 
over to the Ordnance Department for future use. 
When we got of¥ the cars at the foot of Brush street 
there was a large crowd there to receive us. 

After I came home I went; with the Light Guard 
and remained with them for a short time. Then I 
recruited a band for the Fifth Infantry and went to 
Washington, with Lieut. Henry Hodson, and from 
there to Alexandria, Va., and from there to Camp 
Michigan, below . Alexandria. 

The Second, Third and Fifth Michigan, together 
with the Thirty-seventh New York and the Fire Zou- 
aves, were in our brigade. Col. Terry was in com- 
mand of the Fifth and Col Poe of the Second. "Old 
Fighting Dick" Richardson, as we called him, had 
command of the brigade. Some very amusing scenes 
occurred at different times while we were here. One 
day they had brigade drill, and all the rest of the regi- 
ments were in their proper place but ours. Col. Terry 
could not get in line. Gen. Richardson said, "Are 
you ready?" "No, General, not yet." After a long 



143 

pause — "Col. Terry,'- in a little more stern voice, "Are 
you ready?" "Yes, General, all ready now." "Not 
by a d — n sight!" replied Gen. Richardson. "Get 
your men in line." Gen. Richardson was a fine dis- 
ciplinarian on duty, and as brave as a lion. But off 
duty he would be seen in linen pants, shirt sleeves and 
straw hat, and he had many most comical ways. 

One day he had been to the city and bought a new 
hat, and rode through the camp holding on to the 
horse's mane, and all ran out of their tents to see him. 
"There goes Fighting Dick," they would say. "Oh, 
Dick has got a new hat. But everybody loved Gen. 
Dick. He was promoted to Division General, and he 
left us. He did not like to leave us. He thought 
Michigan men were the boys to fight. 

One morning, when we were at Williamsburg, he 
came over to see us before we had had our breakfast. 
Some were standing around a fire we had made, and 
he commenced to talk and joke. Said he, "They took 
me from my old regiment. I would rather have one 
regiment of Michigan troops than ten thousand other 
troops." 

After passing the winter at Camp Michigan, we got 
orders to go to Fortress Monroe. 



f44 

Mr. Stack and I were clinms. He was leader of 
the Third Michigan Band and I was leader of 
the Fifth Michigan Band, Stack was a German, and 
a small man, and had a Avife of very tall stature. She 
was Irish, nearly six feet tall, and as straight as a 
rush. We ranked as second lieutenants. After we 
got orders to leave Camp Michigan to go to Fortress 
]\'Ionroe, Mrs. Stack and my wife went to Washing- 
ton and remained there until after I was discharged. 
They rented rooms there and kept house. Some very 
funny things occurred when we were at the camp. 
Mr. Kern, the large man, had a habit of snoring. His 
tent was next to that of mine, and it made it disagree- 
able for my wife, whose health was not of the best, 
and that constant snoring was the means of keeping 
her awake a great deal. The two drummers, Taglor 
and Oliver Bloom, occupied the tent with Mr. Kern. 
They were unable to sleep, and so Mr. Kern said to 
them, "I will tell you wiiat to do. When I go to bed 
to-night, you take this string and tie it around my big 
toe, and when I snore give it a pull, and that will 
wake me, so you can sleep, and it will perhaps be the 
means of breaking me of that bad habit of snoring." 
Well, they went at it the first night. As soon as he 



145 

would fall asleep, Bloom would jerk the string- and 
the snoring would cease; but it would be but momen- 
tarily, for the snoring commenced harder than ever. 
They told me the next morning that the thing did not 
work. You, see, they slept in different beds, Kern 
on one side and Taglor and Bloom on the other side 
of the tent. Taglor died some years ago and Bloom 
is in the postoffice, and has been there since ]\Ir. Swift 
took charge of it. 

They asked me what I could do about that snoring-. 
I told them they would get used to it after a while, 
and then they would not mind it. ]\Iy tent was close 
to ]\Ir. Harris, the suttler's tent, and tlie sentinel 
walked just in rear of my tent. They would meet 
there and talk together. ]\iy wife Avould make coffee 
almost every night and take it out to them and they 
would drink it on post. This was in the winter 
and it was very cold, and three or four inclies of snow 
on the gTound. One night, after we were in bed, the 
guard met. They talked of old times and things they 
had done before they went in the arm\'. One of them 
said to the other, ''Bill, I wish I were in ^lichigan to- 
night and had a piece of calico in a cutter. How 



146 

happy I would be." A few days after this he went 
on picket duty and was killed. 

As I said before, Mrs. Stack and my wife went to 
Washington during' my absence in the army. I saw 
my wife on the boat and looked at her vmtil she was 
out of sight. I cannot express my feelings at parting 
with my dear wife at that time — one who would do 
anything for me. But I will leave it now to anyone 
who has had the same experience I have had. I was 
also sorry to bid farewell to old Camp Michigan, 
where we had passed a pleasant winter. 

We took a boat for Fortress Monroe, where we ar- 
rived in time to see the Monitor which had defeated 
the Merrimac, which had done so much harm to our 
navy, and had been sent back to Norfolk, where she 
remained and never came out again. We stopped 
close to the Monitor, and we could see where the 
balls from thq Merrimac had struck here turret in 
several places. The same day we landed at the Fort, 
and from there went to Hampton, where we stayed a 
few days, and then we took up our march for York- 
town. 

We had no tents, but each man was provided with 
a Httle shelter tent made of canvas, about six feet 



147 

long and three feet wide, with a piece of oilcloth to 
put under us. We would drive small stakes, four in 
number, in the ground, stretch the canvas on the 
stakes, and put the oilcloth under us to keep out the 
moisture, and that was the only protection from the 
weather we had. 

WE NOW DREW UP IN FRONT OF YORK- 
TOWN. 

We sat down before Yorktown for a long siege. 
Our brigade was encamped about a mile from the 
place, and in a veritable swamp. Our tents had not 
come up, so I put a fly over a bush and called it our 
headquarters. But after the wagons came up we put 
up our little dog tents, as we called them, and when 
we tried to sleep we would crawl in and shut the tent 
up to keep the enemy out, for we had an enemy 
ready to take our blood at the first opportunity. Yet 
they were all mussicians, and as soon as night came on 
they would try to lull us to sleep with their singing, 
though their notes were always of one tone, as they 
sang "Cousin, cousin, cousin.'^ But I had no use for 
such cousins, as they were winged reptiles in the 
form of the largest mosquitoes I ever saw. My only 



148 

means of denfese was my pipe, and I smoked until 
they were stupified, and then I got some sleep. 

When we got to Yorktown, I had nothing to eat. 
The wagons were in the rear and could not get up on 
account of the bad roads, and they were unable to 
reach us until the third day. But hunger gnawed just 
the same. 

Gen. Hintzelman had given strict orders that no an- 
imal should be killed or anything disturbed which be- 
longed to the citizens. Such orders are ail very well, 
but a hungry stomach knows no law, for a soldier es- 
pecially, where it is generally considered there is no 
hell for a soldier, except what he has to endure in a 
rougdi campaign or on the battle field. I was suffer- 
ing a little hell of my own, for I was a very hungry 
man. Finally I spied a nice fat shoat, a pig of about 
ten months old. Having my revolver with me, I shot 
it. I only wounded him, and I dared not fire again 
for fear of attracting attention, so I drew my saber 
and plunged it into his heart. This was the only 
time my saber was ever stained with blood. Some of 
the members of the band came up and commenced 
skinning the pig, when who should ride along but 
Gen. Hintzelman and staff. Salutations were given, 



149 

and they passed on. I gave some of the meat to Col. 
Terry and some to Major Fairbanks. The rest we 
roasted on the coals, as we had no other cooking- uten- 
sils. We had no salt, and so ate it without. Now 
my hunger for a time was quieted, and night was com- 
ing on, and no camp equipage. I was puzzled as to 
where we would sleep. I told the band each to shift 
for himself. Meantime I had my eye on the only 
house to be seen, except those in the enemy's lines, 
and it had been deserted by the inhabitants who had 
fled to the enemy for protection. When I came to go 
to it I found the hospital department had appropriated 
it for a hospital. This barred me from that. But 
upon looking around I discovered a small hen house — 
the chickens had long since departed — and though 
this was not a nice place to stop, it was better than 
no shelter at all from the cold sea breezes of early 
spring. Not for one moment supposing man or ani- 
mal would dispute my claims, I took informal posses- 
sion. It was very dark by this time, and I had no 
matches. I felt my way around to see what there 
might be. I got hold of a barrel that seemed to be 
nearly full of something. As I myself had not for some 
time been full of anything, 1 was happy to find some- 



I50 

thing near full. I felt over the barrel to see what it 
was, and when I put my hand into it I found some 
straw which had no doubt been a hen's nest, and lying 
upon the straw was something soft and warm which I 
took for a cat, and called "Pussy, pussy, pussy." I 
had about made up my mind I had one friendly com- 
panion anyway, when, oh! oh! I was notified of the 
nature of my common, or companions, as it proved, 
for I had molested a nest of young skunks. For- 
tunately for me, they were young; but they did the 
best they could in extending their hospitality and lent 
me all the perfume I required for some time, and then 
quickly deserted their home and yielded the whole 
place to me. I walked outside to take the fresh air, 
but the stench spread on every side and extended to 
the hospital, disturbing the doctors so that they came 
down to investigate, and insisted on shooting- me for 
a spy in disguise who had taken refuge in this out- 
building and being exposed by my betters. But when 
I explained matters, they laughed at my ridiculous 
situation, and deodorized myself and premepted claim 
the best possible, and I remained there over night. 
Meantime I had got quite used to the situation and 
sat down on the l)arrel for repose. I fell asleep, or 



151 

as near so as an exhausted man could under such a 
trying situation. I finally awakened, to find that the 
contents of the barrel, which was ashes and straw, had 
simk down with my weight, and I was wedged into 
the barrel with my limbs nearly paralyzed and aching 
at every joint. I struggled manfully to free myself, 
and I tried to straighten the kinks out of my limbs, 
but oh! how lame and sore I was. It was now day- 
light and I went to headquarters, where the fly was on 
the bush, but oh! ye gods! the greeting I received as 
I passed along was enough to drive a man to destrac- 
tion. My imiform was anything but attractive — and 
the odor ! Tom Moore says : 

"You may break, you may shatter, 
The vase if you will; 
But the scent of the roses 
Will linger there still." 

Well, the scent I had received the night before, still 
lingered. 

The private soldiers had their shelter tents and 
blankets and, with a few boughs, could make them- 
selves comfortable; but I, like the son of man, had no 
place to lay my head, and I was certainly not wanted 
in the camps, for as I passed through, the cry with 



152 

the smell, went up to heaven, "Put him out! Put him 
out! Shoot him! Call a detail and bury him. Send 
him to the Dry Tortugas." The Dry Tortugas was 
a place where military crimirials were kept. I had no 
other satisfaction than to say to myself, "Damn you, 
enjoy a little of the misery I have for the past twelve 
hours." Well, I lived through this torrent for three 
days, until the wagons came up with the baggage and 
a change of clothes. The man who laughed at my 
situation the most was my best friend, Comrade Stack, 
whom I have spoken of before and stated that his wife 
w^as keeping- house in Washington with my wife. I 
determined to get even with him, which I did in the 
following manner: 

After we had got settled down in camp life, for the 
weeks the siege v/as going on, I received a paper from 
my wife. Mr. Stack was with me while I was reading, 
when I suddenly stopped and, as if studying over the 
matter, suddenly broke out, "What do you think of 
this?" and I apparently read from the paper: 



5.^ 



"A FOOLISH AND TERRIBLE SCAXDAL. 

*']\Irs. Stack and Mrs. J. D. Elderkin, wives of offi- 
cers of the Fifth and Third jNIichig-an Infantry, are 
making themselves notorious by going to the hospitals 
and carrying dehcacies to the best looking young men, 
and declaring that they have come from above." 

Mr. Stack took it to heart and, without looking for 
it himself, went directly to his tent and wrote his wife 
as follows: 

''Mrs. Stack, I have heard of your scandalous con- 
duct. Inclosed find three hundred dollars. It is the 
'last you will ever get from me. We have just been 
paid ofif, and here I am in this d — n swamp, expecting 
any moment my head will be blown of¥, and you — 
and you — ^going around enjoying yourself and making 
a d — n fool of yourself. Take this and go to h — 1; it 
is the last money you will ever get from me. So. 
good-bye, your once happy husband." 

When Mrs. Stack read this letter she commenced 
to cry. My wife asked her what was the matter, and 
she showed my wife the letter. As soon as my wife 
saw the letter she cried out, "Oh, goodness me, drv 



154 

your tears; this is all the work of Jim. He has been 
playing one of his practical jokes. I will get a letter 
from Jim to-morrow and he will tell me all about it." 

I wrote to my wife the next day and told her what 
I had done. When she got the letter she showed it 
to Mrs. Stack and said, "Do you see? I told you it 
was all Jims' work, and would come out all right." 
Well, of course, everything is "well that ends well, and 
this matter ended well, and I was even with Mr. Stack 
and things went on smooth. 

I had a friend by the name of William H. Allen, who 
was a member of Company F, Second Michigan In- 
fantry, and a clerk for Gen. Richardson. Mr. Allen 
was always present when I had anything good to eat. 
He will acknowledge this himself, for he lives in 
Evait, Mich. 

I got acquainted with Mr. Allen through a relative, 
Professor Lyman E. Stowe, who lives at 131 Catherine 
street. He married my niece, and myself and wife 
were boarding at C. F. Bessinger's, 178 Catherine 
street, Detroit. As Mr. Bessinger is my brother-in- 
law, and uncle to my niece, Mr. Stowe's wife, Mr. 
Stowe was a frequent visitor to Mr. Bessinger's while 



155 

the Second Regiment lay at Fort Wayne, before start- 
ing- for the front. 

Mr. Allen, with members and officers of Mr. Stowe's 
company, called with Mr. Stowe, so I became ac- 
quainted with them in this way, and I never regretted 
these acquaintances, for it ripened into close friend- 
ship. While we lay at Camp Michigan, Henry, or 
"Hank," as we called him, was a very constant visitor, 
and this was kept up ever after as long as I was in the 
service, as well as after we got home. While in front 
of Yorktown jhe would call every day and tell us all 
the news. He would come to my tent and stay for 
half an hour or so and talk and be sociable; then he 
would leave. As I said before, he was a clerk for 
Gen. Richardson. While we were in front of York- 
town, it was customary for me to go around in front 
of the enemy's works and see all I could. When I 
would go, Hank would let me take the General's 
glass, a very large one, and with it I could see all over 
the city. On the west of us was a large plain, and just 
in front of that was a strip of woods, where we had 
our large cannon in a fort we constructed, in order to 
bombard the fort at Yorktown when occasion required. 
On the left our enemy had erected some masked bat- 



156 

terics, and not far from where we were encamped. 
One morning, Hank, Sergeant Bishop and I went out 
in an old cornfield to look at the fort they had built 
in the woods. The corn had been picked from ofif the 
stalks and the stalks left standing. I got' on a stump 
to look, and brought my glass to bear so I could see 
what they were doing. I could see the cannon; they 
were covered with black oilclotli, and were only six 
hundred yards from where we WTre standing. I said 
to my comrades, 'T can see some cannon, and the men 
are working' there in the intrenchment. After I had 
looked all I cared to, Allen said, "Let me look, Jim." 
I got down from the stump and handed him the glass. 
I said to him, ''Now when you see them going to those 
cannon and take the canvas off, you get down." So 
after ]\Ir. Allen had been there a minute or so. Ser- 
geant Bishop got on the stump, and I repeated the 
warning I had given before. Bishop had not been on 
the stump a minute before he was shot through the 
bowels by a ten-pound shell. His entrails strung out 
two or three yards. We tried to take him away, but 
as sure as we would attempt to go for him they would 
tire at us, so we didn't try any more; but two men, 
more venturesome than we, succeeded in taking him 



157 - 

away. Two men, one from our light battery, took a 
stretcher and, by crawling on their stomachs, suc- 
ceeded in taking him off. In a few days after this I 
■got the glass and went alone to look at Yorktown, 
and in order to get as close as I could it was necessary 
for me to pass our pickets immediately on the road 
leading to Yorktown. So I went down until I came 
to our pickets, and I asked the officer in charge if he 
would let me pass. I told him I was capable of taking 
care of myself, and that I would like to see their forti- 
fications. Then he told the guard to let me pass. I 
was in the woods at this time, but going a little farther 
I came to an opening, and I could see all over the 
town. The road I was on was straight. The tele- 
graph wires were off the poles and lying on the 
ground. In a short time I came to a rise of 
ground, on the top of which was a chimney with an 
old-fashioned fireplace. The house had burned, but 
the chimney remained standing. When I came up to 
this I stopped and took my glass and was looking at 
the forts, when I saw someone approaching me com- 
ing up the hill. I thought that was queer, as I knew 
it was none of our men, as he was coming from the 
opposite direction from where our men were stationed. 



158 

As he came a little nearer, I could see he had on a 
uniform — coat and cap. I was standing close to the 
chimney. As he came nearer I could see he had a 
rifle. I could just see the top of his head and the 
muzzle of his rifle. He came up very stealthily, bend- 
ing forward, and when he thought he was close 
enough, he knelt -down on his knee and brought his 
piece to his shoulder and took aim at me. I could 
look right into the muzzle of his gun, and when I saw 
his piece was steady I got behind the chimney, but 
kept my eye on him to see if he did not come farther. 
All the arms I had was my sword and a revolver. 
These were no good for that distance. I heard some 
sound on my right, or thought I did, and on keeping 
well under cover of my breastworks, I cast my eye 
in the direction from where I thought the sound came 
from, and who should I see but my deliverer in the 
form of one of Berdan's sharpshooters. He came up 
within fifty yards of my would-be murderer and shot 
him dead. I saw him fall. He was so intent on ^k- 
ing my life that he did not see the man who killed 
him. I don't know how the soldier who saved my 
life came to ibe where he was, unless he was sent out 
to keep his eye on me for fear something might hap- 



159 

pen to me. I never saw him before, or have I ever 
seen him since. I did not wait to thank him for what 
he had done, but went back to camp quicker" than 
what I left it. The army was all ready to bombard 
Yorktown and was to commence the next day. But 
the next morning found Yorktown evacuated, and as 
we passed through in pursuit I closely observed the 
positions at the time I have been speaking of. The 
rebels had dug holes in the ground for picket posts. 
Of course the pickets of both sides were concealed by 
such methods. 

We now followed in pursuit of the enemy towards 
Williamsburg, When near Williamsburg we could 
hear the firing. It was raining in torrents all day. The 
mud was very deep, so it was hard to make any prog- 
ress, and, to make matters worse. Gen. Kearney would 
come riding back to hurry us up. He said he wanted 
the Michigan m'en to the front, so we went double- 
quick. When we got there we were formed in line of 
battle and the order was given to charge. The band 
and field music were ordered by Col. Terry to take 
position three paces in the rear of the colors. The 
rebels had felled trees in front of us, so we had to 
climb over them before we could see the enemy. 



i6g 

In our brigade were the Second, Third and Fifth 
Michigan and Thirty-seventh New York, an Irish reg- 
iment, and they were all brave soldiers. After the 
battle they gave us the name of the ''Fighting Fifth," 
and we have kept the record ever since. The band 
and field music carried stretchers, and as a man would 
get shot we would put him on a litter and take him 
to the rear, where the doctors would attend him. The 
killed were left until after the battle; then a burial 
party would be detailed to bury the dead. Just after 
w'e went forward, two men w^ere wounded, one a Ger- 
man, the other an Irishman. The German had tw^o of 
his fingers shot ofif, and he complained bitterly. "Oh ! 
mine Got! mine Got! I never can blay poker any 
more." The Irishman, who was more severely wound^ 
ed, asked, "What the divil are you crying for? There's 
a mon there with his head off, and he don't say a dom 
word." 

Our next battles were at Fair Oaks and the Seven 
Pines. These are matters of history, I shall not at- 
tempt to describe them. 

After the Battle of Williamsburg we marched out 
to the White House Landing on the Pamunky River, 
thence back to Baltimore cross roads, where we en- 



i6i 

camped a few days preparatory to making a general 
advance. As soon as supplies were brought up we 
advanced, crossing the Chickahoming River, by the 
way of Bottoms bridge, to Fair Oaks and Seven 
Pines, where we fought these battles, and then forti- 
fied our position. We were now within eight miles 
of Richmond. 

Our march to this point had been extremely diffi- 
cult, on account of mud and general bad roads. The 
two battles were fiercely contested on both sides, and 
the loss for both sides very heavy. By this time the 
spring sun shown very hot and decomposition took 
place very rapidly, so that burial parties did their 
work under great difficulties, and many a dead soldier 
was 'barely covered with a little loose dirt, which the 
first rain would w-ash away. It was no uncommon 
thing to see a hand protruding from the ground, 
where a corpse had been buried in a cramped position, 
and the tention, as decomposition took place, caused 
the arm to spring out, not having much resistance 
from so little earth that had been placed over the 
body. Some facetious soldier, seeing a hand so pro- 
truding, would place a handful of cards therein as if 



ib2 

the dead man was about to take a hand in a game of 
cards. 

Our division and our brigade occupied the extreme 
left of the army, whose lines extended from White 
Oak Swamp; to the right to Mechaniosville twenty 
miles away. This whole distance was fortified by 
breastworks, and daily picket duty was simply a con- 
tinuous battle. The surgeons and the attendants were 
busy all of the time. 

I had great diflficulty to get some of the members 
of the band to perform the duty of surgeons' attend- 
ants, as they claimed, not being enlisted as a private 
soldier, they were only enlisted to make music, which 
in our case was really the fact. But there are some 
men always ready to perform any duty assigned to 
them, especially to relieve human suiTering, while 
others would not take the risk of being shot to assist 
any one. I had some men who were never behind 
when help was called for. I will mention two in par- 
ticular, one was OlHe Bloom, now in the postoffice; 
the other was Mr. Tagler, whom I before spoke of. 
These men, God bless them, never flinched duty. 

Eadi day as the pickets were called on to go out 
on the line, I would be notified to send two men out 



1 63 

to assist the surgeon to carry his instruments and 
stretchers and render such service as might be re- 
quired. 

I had a man by the name of Spiegel who played the 
baritone, and his twelve-year-old son beat the cym- 
bals in our band. I ordered ]\Ir. Spiegel to report for 
duty on the picket line, but he refused, as his papers 
said he need not do such service, and I was at a loss 
what to do with him when his twelve-year-old boy 
came up crying and said, "Mr. Elderkin, I wish you 
wouldn't send papa out, but let me go in his place.'' 
This was certainly a touching scene, and showed the 
nobility of the boy's nature. I told him neither of 
them needed to go, I would go myself. But from this 
incident forward I never had any trouble tO' get any 
of the men to go on duty when occasion required. 

While we on the left were in a comparatively 
quiet but watchful state, heavy fighting was going 
on at the right. We did nothing but watch the 
enemy and pick huckleberries from the bushes and 
body lice from our clothing, for nature was prolific 
in her distribution of both. The huckleberries grew 
everywhere in profuse abundance, and such great big 



164 

blue ones I never saw, and body lice seemed to breed 
in the very ground. 

It was said no man, from the lowest private to the 
general in command, was able to keep entirely rid of 
them, and to aggravate matters more we neither had 
change of clothing or could we get water enough to 
drink, much less enough to wash in. A story once 
circulated that a private soldier was looking over his 
shirt for that kind of game when the general and 
staflf passed by. The general spoke to the young man 
and asked, "What are you doing, picking off fleas?" 
The young man replied, "General, what do you take 
me for — a dog? No, sir, these are body lice." 

One night I had an uncomfortable feeling come 
over me; it seemed to be shared in by our whole com- 
mand. Something terrible must be about to happen. 
All day long the steady roar of artillery was going on 
at the right, and this seemed to grow more sullen and 
dense as night came on. The distant rumble, roll and 
thunder gradually drew nearer, and nearer, and 
nearer, until finally it died away as if all participants 
were wearied out and had sought a momentary rest. 
Sleep closed the eyes of all but the silent watches on 
the picket lines. 



i65 

All too soon the gray of the morning dawn gradu- 
ally stretched her silvery mantle over the face of the 
earth, quickly to be followed by the golden rays of a 
summer sun. But as quick as was this changing 
scene it was no quicker than the movements of the 
two mighty giants now up and preparing for the 
struggle of the day. Already the thunder of artillery 
could be heard away on the right, the whole army was 
in line, we were moved out of our camps, and no 
one need be told our right had been turned, *and we 
must retreat or change our base of operation. 

We had some new hospitals and quartermaster 
tents, and much army stores, which had to be aban- 
doned; some of these I helped to destroy, so they 
would not fall into the enemy's hands, in good order. 

Although we moved out of our camps early in the 
morning, we did not take up our line of march until 
afternoon. This was so as to allow the right wing to 
swing around and let our comparatively fresh troops 
cover the rear of the retreating forces. As our retreat 
lay still further to the left and rear of our position. 
Some of my regiment with a part of the Second Mich- 
igan Infantry had already crossed the White Oak 



1 66 

Swamp, and engaged the enemy who were trying to 
cut off our retreat from that direction. 

Sunday night, June 29th, 1862, found the whole 
army across White Oak Swamp. Kerney's and 
Hooker's divisions had covered the retreat in a master- 
ly manner. 

Monday, June 30th, was clear and beautiful, and 
with the exception of here and there picket shots, 
little firing was heard until after ten o'clock in 
the m(5rning. Then the troops were seen moving hur- 
riedly in different directions, and we ourselves were 
marched rapidly into position, where we fought one of 
the most stubbornly contested battles of the war. 
This was called Charles City cross roads by the 
Northern forces and Frazier farm by the Southern 
forces. It was reported we were surrounded and 
must either cut our way out or be captured, and as is- 
often the case when a little man is the under man in 
the fight the big fellow is getting the worst punish- 
ment. It was so in this case; though the enemy out- 
numbered us three to one, they received terrible pun- 
ishment. 

Kerney's and Hooker's divisions might possibly be 
sacrificed to give the rest of the army time to get in 



1 67 

position and fortify at Melvern Hill. But such gen- 
erals as Hooker and Kerney never give up while there 
is a ray of hope, and this fierce battle lasted well into 
the night, when both sides rested from sheer exhaus- 
tion. The early dawn saw our little army through 
the enemy^s lines and well on our way to Melvern 
Hill. We passed through our lines at Melvern Hill 
early in the morning of Tuesday, July ist. The enemy 
followed so closely that fighting began at once, and 
continued fiercely all day. Our position was admir- 
ably chosen, which gave our batteries great advan- 
tage and our gunboats on the James River played a 
prominent part. Five hundred pieces of artillery were 
thundering at one time. This is said to be the great- 
est artillery battle of the war, even Gettysburg was 
second to it. 

So far as position of the field was concerned, the 
victory of the past seven days' fighting belonged to 
Lee and his confederate forces, but he might have 
well said with' Perseus, '^Another victory like this and 
I am undone.'' 

The morning of July 2nd saw us on our way to 
Harrison's Landing and Lee in full retreat to Rich- 
mond, both sides whipped and worn out. It rained 



i68 

all day and we reached Harrison's Landing to find a 
swamp or fields of mud. The tired army lay down 
and rested in the mud as best they could with mud 
and water under them and torrents of rain pouring 
upon them. 

We lay at this point until the 15th of August. Our 
rations were pretty good except the corn beef; it was 
very bad and of coarse grain, and the boys called it 
''Salt horse, or mule meat." Certainly it was anything 
but fit to eat. But it was boiled and served up. 
Bloom and Tagler, for mischief, would pile great 
quantities of it before Mr. Kern's tent before he got 
up, and he would have to remove it before he could 
get out. 

One night the enemy came up on the opposite side 
of the river and fired a few cannon shot into our camp 
and also burned one of our barges loaded with hay. 
This illuminated the whole camp, but the enemy was 
quickly put to flight. 

This was the last I saw of army life, as there was 
an order to muster out of service all regimental bands. 
I then went to Washington to see my wife. We left 
Washington a short time after and came back to De- 
troit, where I bought a home, No. 140 East Elizabeth 



169 

street, and lived there until 1888, when my wife died, 
on the i8th of July, 1888. After I returned to De- 
troit I took my old position in the Detroit Light 
Guard again, and was armorer and leader of their 
band. I w^as with that company from July, 1857, until 
1888. Since that time I have been a member of the 
veteran organization. They were all gentlemen, and 
some of the happiest days in my life were spent wdth 
the boys of that company. I was doing well and the 
officers and the men took quite an interest in me, and 
did all they could to make it pleasant for me. 

For a few years they elected me drum major every 
year at their annual election, and I always turned out 
with them as such. After I became leader of the band 
I W'Cnt w^ith them. I had all the playing I could do. 
Sometimes I would have from thirty to forty men 
engaged a day. The Detroit Light Guard assisted 
me very much in procuring jobs. I w^as very much 
amused when the Detroit Light Guards went to 
Cleveland to visit the Cleveland Grays, in return to a 
compliment paid the Light Guards of Detroit. We 
had a man in the company who was a sergeant by 
the name of Cowmen ; he was a doctor and a Scotchman, 
He had a suit of kilts, a very nice one too. The dav 



I/O 

we got there it was quite windy, and he was a large 
man, and fine looking; every one admired his looks. 
The band was playing on the street, and so the doctor 
got on the balcony so he could see and hear better. 
Well, you can imagine what a crowd gathered to see 
him in his kilts, and it being very warm he had no 
nether garments under his skirt. There was quite a 
breeze at the time which gently lifted his skirts, and 
the doctor was a bare sight to behold. The crowd 
was cheering and laughing, but the doctor was ob- 
livious to it all. I don't know how long he would 
have stayed if General Williams, at that time captain 
of the company, had not appeared and told him he 
had better get off the balcony, as the ladies did not 
like to see him in so cool a dress. He turned out 
with the company whenever they appeared on the 
street with his kilts. There are a few men left of the 
old Detroit Light Guards who will remember all I 
have said in relation to the company, T. Palmer, 
Millert, D. Pierce, J. Pitman, Mart, Smith, Oliver 
Goldsmith, Chas. Taylor, Alfred Russell and a few 
others. 

As I said before, they had to pay for all they got; 
they got nothing from the State. They would give 



171 

high-atoned parties at the Russell House, and charge 
ten dollars a ticket, and by that means would realize 
from six to eight hundred dollars in one night. After 
my wife died in 1888 I did nothing for the company; 
age was telling on me, and so I left as armorer and left 
off music. While I was in the band I had lots of fun. 
I was always full of the old nick, and I would play 
my jokes off as often as I could. Sometimes while 
we were on the street waiting for the procession to 
form we would play a piece or two while they were 
getting ready, and on such occasions there would be 
a large crowd looking at us. I would take my cornet 
and hit a man on the left of me on his shoulder, look- 
ing at the same time in the opposite direction. Of 
course the man didn't know who hit him, so in a 
minute I would repeat the dose. Some of the out- 
siders would get on to it and would laugh; the man 
who had been hit would say to the one who was laugh- 
ing, you do that again and I will give you one in the 
mouth; every one would laugh. 

I have been walking on the street sometimes, and 
a man would be in front of me, and I would take a 
small piece of paper and do it up in a wad, and cough 
and spit, at the same time I would throw it at the 



1/2 

man and hit him on the back. He would turn around 
and say, did you spit on me. I would say no. He 
would not take my word for it and take his coat off 
in the street. 

We had a lot of crape in the armory that had been 
used on our collars, that had become dirty and useless; 
we had no more use for it, so I thought I would have 
some fun with it, so I took quite a piece and made a 
roll of it about the size of a small cat, and tied about 
fifty yards of strong black thread at one end of it, and 
started home at nine o'clock; I went to the corner of 
Randolph and Jefferson avenue, and let it fall on the 
sidewalk, and started to walk cross the street, and 
kept the end of the string in my hand, and took up 
the slack. I drew it on after me. When near the 
corner of Randolph and Jefferson a lady was crossing 
the street, and as she was crossing the crape went 
under her clothes and she jumped about three feet 
high and screamed. Every one ran to see what the 
matter was; they said, what is it? What is it; there it 
goes following that man. I commenced to haul in the 
slack. I did not want to get over my pleasure too 
soon. But I saw a man coming from his work, and 
he was running to catch up with the thing. There was 



173 

quite a number following now. I was pulling in the 
slack, and it Avas only six feet from me, when the man 
who w^as so close put his foot on it, and his foot went 
down with such force it threw him down, and he 
looked up at me and smiled so foolish. He could feel 
nothing under his foot, and he did not know what 
to think of it. I took it home and my wife was resting 
on the lounge, and I told her what I had done, and 
commenced to laugh, and she laughed so hard she 
cried, and then said, "Ji"^^ J^^^^ will you ever be a 
man; you have been a boy long enough; it is time 
for you to be a man." But I must believe my boyish 
tricks and ways preserved my youth, for I am still 
youthful feeling at seventy-eight, and I would advise 
my fellow-men to retain their youth by retaining their 
youthful ways. 

OTHER AMUSING EXPERIENCES. 

I have always been quite a story teller, and love to 
entertain my friends with anecdotes and story, and the 
following are some of my experiences and stories: 



174 



A DOG STORY. 

I had a splendid dog, he was a spaniel, his name 
was Sport, I loved him as a brother, I supposed I 
loved him too much, but I could not help it. He was 
always so good, he would do most anything for me. 
When I would come home he would go to the closet 
and get my slippers for me, and then he would take 
my shoes. If I wanted a newspaper all I would have 
to do would be to say, ''Sport, master wants a paper," 
and he would go and get me one. If I was on the 
street and dropped anything he would bring it to me. 
I took him with me wherever I went, and he was the 
only company I had since I lost my dear wife. When 
I was sad he would lay on the floor and watch me, 
and seemed to know I was feeling bad, and he would 
shed tears like a human being. 

One night I was to play on an excursion for the 
Odd Fellows from Windsor. The band took the ferry 
at the foot of Woodward avenue and crossed the river. 
After we got over we went to the Crawford House 
and played two or three pieces, and after that went 
on board the boat we were to play on. After we got 



175 

on board the boat I missed poor Sport. I thought I 
would never see him again. After the thing was over 
the boat took us on the American side. It was about one 
o'clock p. m. when we landed and I got on the dock 
at Woodward avenue. What did I see but my poor 
lost dog, who had taken the next ferry boat and came 
home. 

I am telling- the truth and want to impress on the 
minds of the reader the intelligence and love of a 
dog. I could tell a great many more things he has 
done, but my reader would not like to hear so much 
about a dog. Just a few more words on the same 
subject and I am through. In warm weather I would 
take Sport on the boat and go to Belle Isle Park. This 
was before the park was improved. Sport liked the 
water, and I took much pleasure in seeing him enjoy 
himself. I would take him on the boat to the island, 
and when we landed he would run down the gang 
plank and jump off the boat on the dock, and from 
there in the water. One day I took him there, and the 
boat was crowded, it being in the afternoon. As now, 
in warm weather, vast numbers congregated there. 
When Sport jumped on dock he looked at a notice 
written on a blackboard that said no dogs allowed on 
this island. As soon as he saw it he jumped off the 



176 

dock into the water. Some of tlie ladies called to me 
and said, *'Mr. Elderkin, your dog has fallen in the 
river; he will be drowned." **No, I said, '1ie will swim 
ashore; he saw that notice," pointing to the notice on 
the blackboard, "no dogs allowed in the park.'' *'Can 
he read?'' they asked. Sport would swim to the shore 
before I could get there, and then I would go on the 
dock lower than the one you take in going of¥, and 
I would throw sticks and anything I could find in the 
water so he could bring it to me. I never took Sport 
any farther than the foot of the park, and after he had 
had a good time I would take the next boat home. 
This day I stayed longer than usual. A young man 
came to see Sport play in the w^ater, and we had quite 
a chat together. As w^e were standing looking at the 
dog, I noticed a small boat moored at the low dock, 
and in a minute a young girl, fifteen or sixteen years 
old, went in the boat and left a basket of food, her 
parasol and a large sized book in the boat, and then 
came out, and seemed to be waiting for some one. In 
a few minutes her father came, jumped from the dock 
in the boat, and he nearly went through the boat. I 
said, *'Now you will see some fun; that man don't 
know anything about a boat." In a few minutes more 



177 

his wife came, and she came close to the boat, and 
the man got on the side of the boat to Hft his wife 
down; she put her dress around her feet, and he put 
his arm up to receive her; it was about three feet 
down to the boat; as he got hold of her the boat 
tipped on one side, and filled with water. In their 
fright she fell overboard and he fell backward in the 
boat. The water was not deep. I ran and got hold 
of the line and pulled the boat in. The young man 
with me took hold of their hands and got them out. 
When the woman went down she was very much 
frightened, and both of them got a good soaking. 
When the lady came out I said, "You had a duck for 
supper." She made no reply. "Now," said the girl to 
her mother, *'Go and see if you can get some dry 
clothes to put on." 

As a matter of course we stayed to see the thing 
out. In a little while we saw a small boat approach- 
ing containing two young ladies, who came quite 
close to the place we were standing. They recognized 
the man with me and asked him if he would like to 
ride. He replied he would. They rowed the boat 
ashore and he got in. His weight of course caused 
the boat to settle on the eround. He took an ore 



J78 

and shoved the craft off. As they commenced to 
make some progress in the river he was telHng the 
girls about the accident. When the girl still standing 
on the dock overheard him telling them of this, she 
cried out, "It is a good thing the fools are not all 
dead yet." Oh! how every person w-ho heard the re- 
mark laughed. It makes me smile every time I think 
about it. She said nothing to me, but she looked 
daggers at me. After I went home where I w^as room- 
ing, then at 383 Brush street, corner of Montcalm, I 
was reading the Free Press, and it came to my mind 
and I had to laugh again. Where I had my room 
there \vere some students who occupied rooms on the 
same floor, and I woke sometimes in the night and I 
had to laugh again, and I was afraid I w^ould disturb 
the students, but I didn't; so I had my fun all to my- 
self and Sport. The next morning I asked the men 
if they heard me laugh during the night, and they 
said they did not. Then I told them of it, and they 
all had a good laugh too. 

I tell you, laugh all you can, it won't hurt you; you 
will get fat if you can have a spell of it two or three 
times an hour. The students said they didn't know 
what they should do if it was not for me telling them 



^79 

such funny stories. Whenever I came home they met 
m<i with smiles. 

Here is a riddle, can you make it out? I will give 
one of my books to the first person who answers it. 
It runs this way: 

Johnny looked down in the spring one day, 

And what did he see but a dipper; 

The handle crooked, the bottom out, 

Yet floating about like a skipper. 

It wasn't broken, good as new, 

And fit for a monarch's daughter. 

''Oh, you are a funny old dipper," said Johnny, 

"You can't hold a drop of water." 



A SLIGHT MISUNDERSTANDING. 

The following story was another which amused the 
students very much: 

At a mountain resort a young man by the name of 
Smith, not "J^^^^ Smith," met a young lady by the 
name of Bell Hubbard; they were stopping at separ- 
ate hotels. They were very fond of each other's so- 
ciety and every one could see it was a genuine love 
match. One night they were noticed to be in an un- 



i8o 

usually happy mood and the following conversation 
took place. 

*'My dear darling' Bell, isn't this a beautiful summer 
night? The grand mountain scenery on every hand, 
and the cool mountain breeze to fan your heated brow. 
What a fitting place to form resolutions or make a 
binduig contract. In fact, dear Bell, what a glorious 
place to pop the question, and here it goes. Will you 
take me for better or worse, will you take me for your 
husband, take my name and become Mrs. Smith?'' 

She replied, *'Yes, Mr. Smith, I like your straight- 
forward and businesslike manner. I love frankness 
and honor." 

Hugs and kisses were indulged in and they separ- 
ated for the time. She was called aside by some lady 
friends, and he went out on the porch to take a smoke 
and talk over a fishing expedition of the next day, 
where speckled trout were to be found in plenty. 
Now Bell w^as somewhat speckled, too, as the sequel 
will show. 

The next evening when Mr. Smith called on Miss 
Hubbard, he found things very much changed, in- 
stead of smiles and kisses he was met with a frown. 
Said he, "My dear Bell, what has come over you? 



i8i 

What is the matter? When I left you last evening 
you were so happy and all smiles. What has chang-ed 
you so?'' Said she, "Mr. Smith, I don't wish to speak 
to you. I hate you. I now know what kind of a 
man you are. I know, sir, I have got freckles, but I 
thought you were more of a gentleman than to make 
fun of me on that account." Mr. Smith was aston- 
ished and replied, ''Why, Bell, I never did any such 
a thing." Said she, "Mr. Smith, you need not deny it 
to me. Last evening after we separated you went out 
on the porch and I overheard you say to Mr. Brown, 
'Oh! Tom, what pleasure it is to come up to the 
mountains and catch these speckled beauties.' " 

"Oh, my goodness. Bell," said Mr. Smith. I was 
talking about speckled trout and not beautiful girls 
that had a few freckles which only added to their 
beauty." Of course this set matters right. 

A STINGY WOMAN. 

I told my student friends that I boarded with a very 
close figuring landlady once, who carried a loaf of 
bread under her arm, and a knife in her hand, and 
asked each one if he would have another piece of 
bread, as she cut it when thev wanted it, so as not 



l82 

to have any left over. This was all very well, but 
when she came to catch the flies who had been in the 
sugar bowl, merely to brush the sugar from their 
feet, that it might not be wasted, it was too much for 
my student friends and they charged me with exag- 
geration. I partially acknowledged the corn by say- 
ing I was no doubt like the very 



WISE BOY, 

who, seeing the stingy mother took good care of the 
whips she used on him, as she kept them over a motto^ 
"God Bless Our Home," he said she ought to keep 
them over the other motto. She asked him why, and 
he said because it reads, *T need thee every hour."^ 
This seemed to please the boys immensely, but when 
I told them of 



A WINKING FISH STORY 

it broke them all up. This is a true story with a very 
little exaggeration. 

But, by the way, I do not want the reader to judge 
all of my experiences which are truthful with these 



i83. 

narratives of fun and exaggeration. But of course 
we are all in matters of fun a little like the deacon in 
church who was accused of exaggeration, and he 
replied that he had shed barrels of tears over that very 
sin. 

It is a fact there is a wealthy gentleman in St, 
Johns, Michigan, by the name of George W. Em- 
mons. I know this to be a fact because Mr. Emmons, 
for his first wife married my niece, and for his second 
wife married some one else's niece, and for his third 
wife he married my wife's niece. 

Now Mr. Emmons is a mighty hunter and fisher, 
and as there is not more than a washtub full of water 
within many miles of St. Johns, Mr. Emmons must 
have an artificial lake in his backyard, stocked with 
whale, alligators, sturgeon, and all other varieties of 
the piscatorial tribe. This lake must be deep enough 
and large enough for a fifty-foot log to extend out 
into it; where his boys, Walter, Fred and Clarence^ 
can dive from, when they go swimming; besides, it 
must be the log Mr. Emmons walks out on when he 
shoots fish. It must be so, for I heard him tell my 
wife that one morning he took his gun and went out 
to shoot a fish, and walking out on a log he spied a 



i84 

sturgeon or some other big fellow, and drew up his 
gun and fired at the fish. Somebody had rendered 
extra service and given his gun an extra charge, which 
caused the gun to express its indignation for being so 
overloaded, and it kicked him off of the log so he got 
a duck instead of a fish. He always declared the fish 
winked at him. But this was about the time he was 
looking for his third wife, and he was susceptible to 
winks at that time. 



THE STORY OF A PARROT. 

I was telling the students of a story of my experi- 
ence. When I was in San Francisco, next door to my 
office was a restaurant. They kept a parrot, and one 
day I heard a terrible scolding going on; it seemed 
to be a woman's voice, which said as it increased 
in volume, **Don't you dare to strike me, don't you 
strike me, stand back, don't you touch me; then take 
him off, take him off, he will kill me," and then a 
terrible scream. I rushed in, but there was no one in 
the room but a parrot hanging in a large cage. It 
cried out, "Oh, what a fool you have made of your- 
self." This was the finest talking parrot I ever heard. 



iS5 

The story pleased everybody, and called forth the 
story of 

THE PARROT AND THE MONKEY. 

A parrot getting out of its cage was seized by a 
monkey, and its feathers stripped ofif. When the lady 
of the house came in and saw the plight of the bird 
and disordered room she threw up her hands and 
cried, "Oh, dear, what is the matter?" The parrot 
replied, "We have had a hell of a time." 

Some one sug"gested this was an old story, and re- 
quested more of my war experiences. So I repeat 
one I forgot to mention in my Florida experience. 

One day when in the Everglades in Florida my 
company, D, of the Fourth U. S. Infantry, were sent 
out in search of an expedition under the command of 
Major W. J. Graham. We were to look for a small 
detachment of marines under command of Captain 
McLochlen of the schooner Flirt, who were to come 
up a small stream of water in small boats. When we 
reached the creek it was very small; the parties we 
were looking for were not there; we remained there 
part of two days, and our rations being- exhausted, 



i86 

we could not wait any longer, and we had to return 
without accomplishing- our mission. We had no tents 
with us, nor were we permitted to make any fires in 
the night. 

One night I became very thirsty after eating so 
much salt pork, and I did not take the precaution to 
"iill my canteen before I laid down, and went to a 
little stream of water to fill my canteen. I took a 
drink, and after that I filled my canteen. I started to 
return to my comrades as I thought. I walked for 
some time, and I could not find the place I left a few 
moments before. I stopped and listened, but could 
hear no sound, and dare not make any noise, for fear 
the Indians would hear me, and I knew if any of the 
sentinels who were on guard would see me they would 
shoot me, for they had orders to shoot any one ap- 
proaching from the outside. It was so dark I could 
hardly see my hand before me, and this in the thick i 
woods. I did not know what to do. I could hear no • 
sound of any kind. As I was standing bewildered, all 
at once what did I hear but "Who cooks for you" came 
from an owl right over my head. "I cook for myself, 
said I in my mind. I tell you it frightened me terribly, 
for I did not at first know but it was an Indian signal. 



ne j 

I," I 



J 



i87 

I kept very quiet and I was compelled to stay in that 
place all night until daylight. And when it became 
light enough to see there I was within a few rods of 
my comrades, who wondered at my absence and 
laughed at my misfortune. But I tell you I was care- 
ful after that to get water before dark or take my 
bearings when leaving camp in an unknown locality. 

My experience at the G. A. R. encampment at Buf- 
falo. When we were ordered to take our position in 
line in the morning I thought I could stand the march, 
but after going ten or twelve blocks to the place desig- 
nated I found I could not endure so long a march, 
and I was taken with cramps in my stomach, and I 
suffered a great deal. I went into a store and sat on 
a dry goods box, and while I was there Gov. Pingree 
came to see me, and he ordered an ambulance to 
take me to my quarters, 138 Delaware avenue. I had 
a fine room then on the first floor. I had the room 
all to myself, and would have had a good time had it 
not been for my sick spell. They put me in the am- 
bulance and took me home. That is the first time I 
■ever rode in such a conveyance. It hurts my feelings 
very much after my long service in the army to have 
to ride in a sick wagon. After I went home I got 



i88 

better in a little while, and some of my comrades said 
I ought to go and see the living shield only one block 
from where I was quartered and on the same street. 
It was the most beautiful sight I ever saw There 
was two or three thousand school children, most all 
of one size. They were placed on elevated benches 
from the ground up. The first row of seats was on 
the ground, the second tier a foot higher, and so on. 
They were all dressed to correspond with the colors 
of the shield, and formed the most magnificent 
spectacle I ever saw. As I was looking at it and 
seeing the Grand Army posts com.ing up on another 
street, two ladies approached me and said a few words 
to me, and then asked m.e if I would like to take a 
glass of wine. I told them I would. They were liv- 
ing only two or three doors from here. I went with 
them, and when we came to their house I was sur- 
prised to see such a magnificent house, everything 
was so very fine. They told me to take a chair on 
the porch, and one of them went in the house and in 
a few minutes returned with a decanter of whisky 
and one of wine, also with crackers and cheese, and 
told me to make myself happy. While I was doing 
justice to what was set before me one of the ladies 



1 89 

asked me if I would like to take a ride around the city. 
If I would they would drive down to Camp Jewett, 
out some distance from where we were. They said 
the President and Gen. Alger would be at the camp. 
The camp was situated in a lovely locality, on the bank 
of the Niagara River, and a regiment of the regular 
U. S. Infantry, I think it was the Thirteenth Infantry, 
was located there. I thought no more about it and 
went to my room. I had not been there ten minutes 
when a splendid carriage drove up with two ladies in 
it, and stopped in front of the room I was in. One of 
them got out of the vehicle and ran up the steps, and 
I met her at the door. The carriage was the most 
magnificent one I ever saw. It had but one seat in 
it, and we sat pretty close together, one on my right 
and one on my left. So you see I was well taken care 
of. The driver had a silk hat on his head with a 
cockade on his hat, and metallic buttons on his coat. 
He drove as fine a pair of horses as I ever saw. We 
drove around the city for some time, and then we 
went down to camp; you ought to see the attraction 
we created. I never had the honor shown me as I 
did on this occasion; every person we met on the 
street would take ofif their hats. I had all of my 



190 

medals on my breast, and the ladies were very richly 
dressed, and I looked like a general if I was not one, 
only surgeon of the Fairbanks Post No. 17, G. A. R., 
Department of Michigan. I think the old veterans 
took me to be Gen. Bombastes Furioso. We did not 
see the President; he had not got through with the 
procession, and so we had to go home without the 
pleasure of seeing his excellency. On our way home 
one of the ladies asked me if I would give her my 
photo. I told her I would with pleasure; that I would 
take one to her the next day. The next morning I 
took one over to her house, but she was not in. But 
when she came home she wrote me a letter with her 
monogram on the letter and also on the envelope, 
stating her regrets at being out when I called, and 
said she owned the carriage, and it was at my dis- 
posal whenever I felt disposed to avail myself of it. 
When I came to Detroit after the encampment I gave 
the letter to our adjutant comrade, Backus, to read 
at the post meeting the next Monday night, and the 
Post gave her a vote of thanks. They were very fine 
people and very wealthy. They were patriotic and 
they liked to do all they could for the G. A. R. It 
was unfortunate I was not well ; I would have had a 



m-: 



191 

good time. The following is a copy of the letter sent 
me: 

189 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. 
Mr. J. D. Elderkin: 

Dear Sir — I am sorry I was not home when you 
called this morning, but was happy to hear you w^as 
feeling better, and was delighted with the photograph; 
I shall prize it highly, and the G. A. R. will never be 
mentioned but it wall recall to memory one friend I 
made at the encampment of '97. Hoping you may 
soon regain your health and enjoy many more meet- 
ings of your noble comrades, I remain, 

Very sincerely, 

ALICE F. HOLLIDAY. 
August 26th. 

THE ENCAMPMENT AT ST. PAUL. 

When the G. A. R. went to St. Paul, Minn., we 
went on the F. & P. M. Railroad, and on our way to 
Ludington I bcame acquainted with a young lady and 
her mother, who were also going to the same place, 
who had friends there, and the young lady had availed 



192 

herself of her vacation oiTered her of two weeks. She 
being a friend of the old soldiers, thought she would 
go and see the grand parade, and see if she could not 
do something to make it pleasant for the old boys, and 
it was not long before she had an opportunity to show 
her gratitude to us. When we arrived at Ludington, 
the boat that was to take us to Milwaukee was lying 
at the dock, and we went on board of her, thinking, 
however, we would all be provided for with berths, 
but when we went to the ofiBce for them we were told 
they were all engaged. You ought to have seen the 
picture of despair depicted upon the faces of the boys ; 
standing room was at a premium. The steward told 
the ladies he could give each one of them a cot, but 
none for the men; they must do the best they could. 
We were told we would all have staterooms, but they 
did not keep their word. The rooms had all been 
engaged two days before. About eleven o'clock they 
commenced putting the cots in their places, and as 
one was ready someone would take possession of it. 

I sat looking at those who were putting the cots in 
order, when the young lady I have spoken of before 
came to me and said, "Now, this cot is for me, you 
take it. I can sit up better than you can." I told her 



193 

I could think of nothing of the kind. It would not 
hurt me to sit up and it might make her sick to be de- 
prived of her rest. It was no use for me to refuse; 
she said if I did not take it someone else would, for 
she would not take it herself. I saw there was no 
other way for me but to sleep on it. The cots were 
put close together, two on each side of the boat, leav- 
ing a passage in the center. When I got ready to go 
to bed I saw something on the cot next to the one I 
was to occupy — someone on it who had long hair. It 
startled me somewhat, for I had not laid so close to 
anyone wearing long hair since my wife died ten years 
ago. But I knew there was no danger of robbery, as 
the lights were going all night. I was very much 
disturbed in my sleep; the long hair semed to upset 
me somehow. After we got to Milwaukee we got on 
the cars and everything was all right. After we had 
been on the road some time I took a seat with the 
young lady and her mother, and sat with them quite 
a while, and then excused myself and went on the 
other side and talked to some of my friends. While 
I was there we passed through a tunnel. Wasn't I 
mad! I told the lady I was vexed, and she asked me 
what it was about, and I told her if I had known we 



194 

were going through a tunnel I would have stayed 
with them. After I got to St. Paul I lost sight of her 
and did not see her until I came to Detroit. She is a 
very prety girl, and I never will forget her for her 
kindness to me. 



THE WASHINGTON ENCAMPMENT. 



MY EXPERIENCE IN WASHINGTON DUR- 
ING THE G. A| R. ENCAMPMENT. 

After we arrived in Washington I thought I would 
see if I could find a room, as I did not like the ac- 
commodations where we were stationed in a school- 
house, so I went down to Seventh street, only two 
blocks away. As I got on Seventh street I saw a 
fine-looking house that had been recently painted, 
with quite a number of flags displayed. Everything 
looked so nice and clean that I thought I would like 
to stay there. I went to the door and rang the bell. 
A lady answered the summons, and I told her my mis- 
sion. She said they had but one vacant room, and 
that was on the second floor. If I would like to look 
at it she would be pleased to show it to me. I went 



195 

into the house and she took me upstairs and I 
made an inspection of the room. Everything looked 
clean and nice. 1 asked the price, and she told me. 
I said I would take it for four days, and gave her the 
money in advance. It seems, her mother was the 
landlady, and did all the work, and her daughter got 
all the proceeds from the roomers. They had about 
eighteen or twenty who occupied rooms during the 
encampment. It was quite a lot of money they would 
take while we were there. The daughter had but re- 
cently been married, and worked in a small room in 
the back of the house, at dressmaking. I told her 
that I wanted the room to myself. After I came there 
at night I read the newspaper some, and after I had a 
good smoke from my pipe, turned down the gas and 
went to bed, thinking all the time I was alone. But 
after I had been in bed some time, I found I was not 
alone. I had hundreds of visitors, and I might say 
thousands. I was not very long in finding out the 
nature of my company. I got out of bed and turned 
on the gas and — Jerusalem! what a sight. The pil- 
low slips and sheet were black with my enemy. I 
went right into battle. I think I must have slaugh- 
tered two or three hundred that night. I did not 



196 

know what to do. I took a smoke, and after stayin^Gf 
up for an hour or so I got so sleepy that I had to try 
it again. I slept quite well after the battle. In the 
morning I called the young lady to come in the room. I 
said to her, "Didn't you tell me I could have this room 
all to myself?" She said, "There was no one else with 
you, was there?" "I should think not," and told her 
to look at the pillows and sheets. I said to her, 
"Didn't you know the state of this room when I took 
it?'- ''No/' she said. "Who slept here before I came?" 
said I. "My papa," said she. "Well," said I, "he must 
have a skin like an alligator." She said she would 
have the mother fix the room up. So I said nothing 
more and went away. But I knew what they would 
do, and when I returned I found the place exactly as 
I expected — the pillow^ slips turned inside out and the 
sheets turned over; that was all; so I went out and 
got a bottle of aqua ammonia and returned. When 
I turned dow^n the cover to go to bed, I saw the enemy 
drawn up in line of battle, their eyes gleaming in the 
gaslight. But I made a flank movement and fired my 
ammonia by batallion and batteries and in brigade all 
down each side of the bed. This unexpected attack 
put the enemy to rout entirely and from this on for 



197 

my brief stay I had the field to myself. But it was a 
desperate battle; I lost much blood in the first en- 
g-agement, but none in the second. 



AS MEMBER AND LEADER OF THE LIGHT 
GUARD BAND. 

As a member and leader of the Light Guard Band 
I have met with many amusing and interesting events. 
.My associates were of course, for the time being, my 
business partners, and I cannot recall any unpleasant 
associations; but, on the contrary, there are many 
pleasant memories to linger over. 

Our many attempts to please the public, by giving 
free concerts in the parks and public places, have been 
greeted with such enthusiastic outpouring of good- 
natured appreciation of our efforts that it leaves a 
wide roadway, strewn with flowers of sweet memory, 
to cheer me in my decling years, and brings back 
sweet memories in 



198 



RETROSPECTION. 

In looking back I view my association with that 
grand military organization, the Detroit Light Giiard^. 
with much satisfaction and pride. Why should I not 
be proud to be an associate with such noble spirits 
as those who have composed the membership of that 
organization, many of whom have reached positions 
of high distinction? 

To mention names of the more successful would be 
an injustice to the number who were equally worthy, 
though less fortunate. During my many years with 
them I have seen its membership changed by the com- 
ing and going, until I could appreciate the feelings of 
Eugene Sue's "Wandering Jew," who saw the rise of 
many generations and was left alone to view in retro- 
spection the many faces which had passed before 
him. 

It is not my purpose to enter into details of the 
organization or its many joyous annual reunions, for 
that is published in their historic records. But I 
wish to say that at each reunion that body of noble 
men have ever recognized my long service by render- 



199 

ing honorable mention of my name and other more 
substantial tokens of their kindness; and in my busi- 
ness of music they were ever associating me by refer- 
ence and favoritism. I would never tire of singing 
the praises of this organization. But there has been 
so much published elsewhere, and by the press, and 
said so much better than I could say it, that I must 
leave the praise and records to much more worthy- 
pens than mine. 

I would also like to sing the praise of Fairbanks 
Post, G. A. R., God bless them! — every member 
They have ever stood ready to do me honor. But 
their record is too dazzling for my weak pen to even 
try to attempt, as it has been so much better written 
by others. 

Of the press, I would speak and extend my thinks. 
The Detroit papers, especially the Free Press, have so 
often given me favorable mention, and sang my praise 
as an old veteran, that as my declining years bring me 
nearer and nearer to the shore I feel a joy mingled 
with sadness — the joy of receiving kindness from so 
many friends, and sorrow at the prospect of parting 
from them. 



200 

Last, though not least, I must speak of our beau- 
tiful city, where I have made my home so long, and 
seen it grow from a rambling old town to a mighty 
city; and in all of my many years' residence I have 
never had unpleasant altercations or trouble with any 
of its citizens. For the most part, my life has been 
serene; my pathway a pleasant one. I sincerely hope 
my friends who have read the book may take as much 
pleasure in reading it as I have in writing it and re- 
viewing my past life. 

J. D. ELDERKIN. 



201 



GRANT'S MANNER OF LIFE AT SACKET'S 
HARBOR AND DETROIT. 

My acquaintance with Lieut. Grant was at Corpus 
Christi, at the beginning of the Mexican war. He 
was a very mild spoken man — spoke Hke a lady, al- 
most. He always asked his men to do their duty; he 
never ordered them in an offensive way. He was 
about as nice a man as I ever saw. He was wonder- 
fully cool and quick in battle. Nothing ever rattled 
him. He took an active part in every battle, and was 
quartermaster besides. I saw a great deal of him at 
Fort Vancouver, W. T., through the Mexican war, and 
then at Detroit and Sacket's Harbor, after the war. He 
was very sociable, always talked to a man freely and 
without putting on the airs of a superior officer. I re- 
member him very well at Detroit. I also remember 
his wife very well; I used to carry the mail, sometimes 
twice a day, to their house on Fort street east. He 
used to ride and drive a great deal ; at Sacket's Harbor 
I remember he used to practice with clubs. He lived 
very modestly — he couldn't afford to do anything else 
on his pay. His only dissipation was in owning a fast 



202 

horse; he always Hked to have a fine horse, and he paid 
well for them. While Grant did not dance, he played 
cards occasionally, and checkers also. He read what- 
ever he could find to read, and read aloud to his wife; 
and in this quiet way was a tender, though undemon 
strative, husband and a good citizen. 

I wish to say in regard to my acquaintance witVi 
General Grant, not that I could add one iotai to^ the 
luster of the record of the grand old General, but for 
the satisfaction' that it gives me to relate of my close 
personal acquaintanceship with such a noble man, and 
my service in the field and camp with him and my 
knowledge of him in civil life, I always found him the 
same quiet, unassuming, noble man. 

J. D. E. 



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